Commentary

The Myth of the 'Bleeding

Heart Liberal' Never Dies

By Steve Rensberry

Commentary

    RP News (OPINION) -- 7/19/2025 -- I read a comment yesterday from a conservative who shared a familiar trope. Liberals are soft; conservatives are hard. The gentleman said that when it comes to liberals he has always thought of them as people who have "big hearts but small minds." Conservatives, on the other hand, are intelligent and practical and not afraid to make the tough decisions, he said. 

    Ok, got it, the old "bleeding heart liberal" myth which I've heard repeated since about birth, is still alive. If only it wasn't such a malicious and mistaken characterization. Think about it. Conservatives show disdain for liberals because they care -- too much!! They should be meaner, crueler and more inhumane! But seriously, who decides exactly where that balance point is? The illiberal worries about people loving their neighbor too much, but the equally important question is: how insensitive is too insensitive? When is punishment just and when does it become cruel and unusual to the point of death?

    On April 28, 2020, news organizations were conveying official reports of more than one million people who died from the covid infection in the U.S. Were those lives just collateral damage to keep capitalist society functioning? How fatalistic do we want to be? I'm not sure, but I'd prefer to be on the side of the people who care too much, rather than on the side of those who care too little.

    On the same subject, I was also called a "libtard" yesterday, by a conservative -- the tired old and disgusting anti-liberal slur that never dies. It is, I suppose, an indication of the true state of existential being for conservatives, even here in 2025, making themselves feel strong and smart by thinking of those they despise as retarded or sub-par. Being a freethinker, skeptic and lover of truth apparently is a hill too steep to climb for those needing absolute metaphysical certainty, however dubious.

    The 'libtard' comment came from a poor misguided soul on a social media page promoting the ultra rightwing and 'project 2025'-loving Hillsdale College, sadly located in my birth state of Michigan. "Warning, do not engage with a bored libtard who only has a keyboard for company," said 'Hati Mari,' urging another poster not to engage with me. Well of course, because unlike liberal institutions which teach students to learn and discover and think for themselves, this college does not teach people how to think independently or to engage independently, it teaches them to be obedient, in total thought, to a specific ideology. I really thought they were beyond using such a dumb word like 'libtard' that applies literally to no one, but Hillsdale's primary glue is an irrational, quasi-philosolphical, fundamentalist hatred for liberalism, secularism, and other religions beside the one they parrot, so I'm not surprised.

    A brief summary from the rationalwiki site, a much more trustworthy info source in many respects than the college itself. "Hillsdale College is a far-right Christian college located in Hillsdale, Michigan. They are strongly against social justice, diversity, and multiculturalism. Hillsdale has a love-hate view when it comes to mass murderer and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The college was in favor of the Euromaidan uprising in Ukraine, but they essentially support the Russian occupation of Crimea, as they claim that it was in opposition to NATO expansion. Hillsdale College also condemned the invasion of Ukraine, but they also see Putin as a conservative strong man."

Politics and Culture

Christian Nationalism 

and the Rationalization 

of Discrimination and Violence

Four Perspectives on the Dangers

6/19/2025

Center for American Progress

Christian Nationalism Is ‘Single Biggest Threat’ to America’s Religious Freedom - Center for American Progress

See: An Interview With Amanda Tyler of the Baptist Joint Committee

    

    Religious liberty is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, yet the meaning of this core American value has been debated throughout the nation’s history. Today, conflicts most often arise from Christian nationalism, the anti-democratic notion that America is a nation by and for Christians alone. At its core, this idea threatens the principle of the separation of church and state and undermines the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. It also leads to discrimination, and at times violence, against religious minorities and the nonreligious.

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Doubter's Parish

How the Religious Right Gets It Wrong and What to Do About It

By Martin Thielen

See: Doubter's Parish

    Today, many (although not all) religious right Christians believe Jesus dislikes LGBTQ persons, immigrants, liberals, elites, science, welfare, MSNBC, wokeness, critical race theory, Joe Biden, non-Christians, and Democrats. On the other side of the ledger, they believe Jesus loves America, churchgoers, capitalism, the military, conservatives, Fox News, guns, MAGA Republicans, aggressive masculinity, and Donald Trump. The fact that the life, teachings, and example of Jesus challenge these assumptions doesn’t deter religious right Christianity one iota.

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Lutheran Confessions

Why Conservative Christians Hate Compassion

By Clint Schnekloth

See: Lutheran Confessions

    In recent years, conservative Christian voices have been on a tear, decrying compassion as a threat to traditional Christian values. The argument is that compassion—especially when it extends to marginalized groups—gives progressive Christians leverage to dismantle conservative moral teachings. . . . At the root of this backlash lies something far simpler than theological analysis: homophobia.

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Christians Against Christian Nationalism

Statement from Christians Against Christian Nationalism

See: Statement

    As Christians, our faith teaches us everyone is created in God’s image and commands us to love one another. As Americans, we value our system of government and the good that can be accomplished in our constitutional democracy. Today, we are concerned about a persistent threat to both our religious communities and our democracy — Christian nationalism.

    Christian nationalism seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy. Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation. We reject this damaging political ideology and invite our fellow Christians to join us in opposing this threat to our faith and to our nation.

Commentary

The Politics of Immorality

 By Steve Rensberry

    

    (RP NEWS) - Nonsense criticisms of things like DEI and 'woke ideology' never cease to amaze me, especially when words like "immorality" are thrown in, as was done in the recent attempted DEI purge of government offices and communications. Freedom of thought and association, the general welfare, are they not important anymore? What gives them the right to decide, certainly not merely winning an election.

    Here's a list of 10 things I'd consider far more immoral than any of the leftist bugaboos that authoritarians like to demonize:

    1. Politicians and other authority figures deciding for us what's moral and immoral, no experts needed and based on a very limited viewpoint, instead of respecting the entire panorama of beliefs, views and interests in the country.

    2. Politician's who think they were elected to dominate instead of serve. No one is above the Constitution, as interpreted by a legislature elected by the people, least of all an uncompromising authoritarian president.

    3. Cutting or threatening to cut the social safety net for millions and millions of people, unilaterally and with little or zero input from those affected.

    4. Failing to provide essential healthcare for all citizens in one of the most advanced nations in the world.

    5. Colluding with Russia privately to divide up Ukraine.

    6. Sticking your nose in other people's reproductive decisions.

    7. Looking the other way and refusing to care about migrants, immigrants, LGBT citizens, and other minority groups who are being unfairly demonized, bolstered by lies, by this administration and other groups. 

    8. Failing to serve ALL citizens and instead serving the interests of only a select number or party. 

   9. Deliberately violating the Constitution in an act of lawfare to bring unwarranted cases before sympathetic judges.

   10. Governing society insensitively and brutally, like a dictator, or deliberately governing in a way designed to shock and dominate rather than find common ground. 

    We are all citizens of the same country and deserve equal respect from our president. EQUAL respect, and EQUAL respect for our values. He took an oath and needs to uphold it. Does he want us to respect his values? Then he needs to respect ours.

     Just my humble human-being-living-in-the-same-twilight-zone-as-everyone-else opinion, of course. It's just wrong to hurt people, and especially wrong to take glee in it, which is what we appear to be witnessing. . -- 2/20/2025

Human Rights

Attacks on Diversity, DEI, Smack

of Hypocrisy, Dehumanization

By Steve Rensberry
RP News/Opinion

    EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (RP NEWS) -- 2/2/2025 -- The more the new administration attacks and tries to erase diversity and equality and social justice programs the more determined I am to fight for each of these causes, doubling down, trippling down, and quadrupling down if necessary. The reason they hate diversity as a concept and practice is because they know it works, because it's humanizing, and because it prevents money-hounds and ideologues from using people merely as assets and objects. Well too bad. It is wrong to dehumanize people.

    The presidency doesn't come with the authority to define reality, or gender, or value, or truth. The president’s job is to serve the people, employ the best advisers and staff possible based on qualifications not loyalty, and to serve the people, not serve over them. So NO, what we've seen so far from this administration is unacceptable. A decent human being would at minimum attempt to bring a divided nation together, peacefully, via commissions, forums, educational initiatives, using non venomous language -- but nope, he's going to drive the nation to civil war, intentionally, and those of us seeking peace and unity are threatened like we're evil in the flesh, with the censorship of our values and symbols taking place at breakneck speed. And whatever happened to concerns about "cancel culture?" The current admin is trying to cancel everything we as a country have learned since the Enlightenment.

    Dehumanize: to deprive (someone or something) of human qualities, personality, or dignity: such as a: to subject someone to inhuman or degrading conditions or treatment; b: to address or portray someone in a way that obscures or demeans that person's humanity or individuality. This is precisely what the current admin anti-DEI, anti-gay, anti-LGBTQ, anti-trans, policies do. They are a big, YOU DON'T EXIST in the United States, gesture of pure unChristian, uncivil hatred toward these people. Lying about and demonizing refugees and non-documented people is only step one in the game plan.

History and Politics

 

Bonhoeffer's Warnings

About the 'Dangers of Stupidity'

Spark Comparisons

By Steve Rensberry 

------ RP News ------

    EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- 11/30/2024 - A recent piece published on Daily Kos about the current political dynamic carried the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man who every student of WW II history has probably heard of, and who paid with his life for his beliefs and opposition to the Nazis during WW II in Germany.

    "Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran theologian and pastor who was an active opponent of Nazism and involved in the German resistance movement. He was arrested and sent to Buchenwald in 1943 and on April 9, 1945 he was executed at Flossenbürg concentration camp just two weeks before it was liberated by U.S.forces," the article states.

    The writer draws numerous parallels between now and then, citing in part the theologian's comments about human stupidity, and how it poses a greater barrior to the common good than does a person or group with obvious malicious intent. Why? Because, in part, the stupid person is both too easily satisfied AND too easily irritated, and too often goes on the attack against those who try to reason with him or her, making even the attempt to seek common ground a dangerous game. They will hate you just the same.

    Bonhoeffer: 

    “Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force.

    "Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease; (however) against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one's prejudgment simply need not be believed - in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical - and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self-satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack.

    "For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than with a malicious one. Never again will (should) we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous”

     It's a sobering quote, and the DailyKos piece asks a difficult and sobering question: Is America worth saving? If you define America primarily as "it's people" rather than merely the land -- maybe so, maybe not -- given how far we've fallen, that's the fear. "Party loyalty has morphed from fanaticism into cultism, and finally blossomed into mass cultural stupidity, as Bonhoeffer observed and described," the writer states. "Bonhoeffer correctly observed that attempting to approach stupidity with reason is dangerous — and mostly results in the exact opposite of the desired outcome. This particular passion play will have to run out of steam on it’s own volition."

Religion and Politics

Baseless IRS Lawsuit Highlights 

Massive Christian Privilege

    (FFRF) - Sept. 5, 2024 - A group of Christian broadcasters wants to mix religion and politics so badly that they have sued the IRS, hoping a federal judge will permit them to ignore a law they don’t like.

    The law at issue here is the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofits (both secular and religious) from engaging in electoral activity. The Freedom From Religion Foundation strongly supports the Johnson Amendment and expects to see the judge in this case quickly dismiss the baseless lawsuit.

    Keeping tax-exempt work separate from electoral action has been widely popular, including among churchgoers, and has prevented millions of dollars in dark money from flowing into U.S. elections. Polls routinely reveal that a majority of Americans think religious institutions should stay out of politics.

    FFRF sued then-President Trump in 2017 after he signed an executive order that he claimed had “gotten rid of the Johnson Amendment.” Once in court, Trump’s lawyers admitted that he had no authority to overturn a federal statute by fiat.

    Unfortunately, the IRS has been woefully lax in enforcing the Johnson Amendment. Many churches that subscribe to Christian nationalist beliefs flagrantly violate the rule, daring the IRS to take action. (FFRF regularly reports such instances to the IRS.) The new lawsuit asks a judge to declare that the Johnson Amendment does not apply to them, even though they claim not to have engaged in any electoral activity and have no reason to think the IRS would take any action against them.

    In other words, they have suffered no harm and there is no case here, says FFRF Co-President Dan Barker, who adds: “The hubris of these plaintiffs is incredible. They insist their religious beliefs give them a free pass to ignore laws they don’t like and that the rest of us tax-exempt organizations must follow.”

    Tax-exempt status is a privilege. Churches already receive favored treatment over secular nonprofits, but they are not entitled to ignore the other rules and statutes that apply equally to all 501(c)(3) educational nonprofits. The Johnson Amendment helps to ensure that nonprofits are engaged in actual nonprofit work, while simultaneously promoting election integrity.

    Churches are uniquely exempted from filing tax returns with the IRS to prove their tax-exempt expenditures, which makes them financial black holes. Overturning the Johnson Amendment would open the floodgates for dark money to be funneled to political campaigns through churches. The Johnson Amendment is a wise and equitable rule that preserves the integrity of both nonprofits and churches, and as such must be protected and enforced.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 40,000 members across the country. Our purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

Law and Politics

Groups Sue After Louisana Legislature 

Overturns Governors Veto 

of Congressional Map

    LOUSIANA - (ACLU) - 3/30/2022 - The Louisiana Legislature has voted to overturn Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of the congressional map passed earlier this year, which failed to add a second majority-Black district.

    In response, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Louisiana, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP filed a  lawsuit on behalf of the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and individuals Press Robinson, Dorothy Nairne, E. René Soulé, Alice Washington, and Clee Ernest Lowe challenging the map as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

    “The congressional map passed by the Louisiana Legislature in February rejected basic principles of fairness and equity,” said NAACP Louisiana State Conference President Michael McClanahan. “The Legislature knew that they could pass a map that complied with the Voting Rights Act and honored the will of community members who stood up and spoke out for fair maps during the redistricting process. When they failed to, the governor rightfully vetoed their unlawful and unfair map. We are going to federal court to demand a map that honors the rights and representation of Black Louisianans. We will be tireless in this fight.”  

    Louisiana’s voting-age population is nearly one-third Black. Under the Legislature’s map, Black Louisianans comprise the majority in only one of the state’s six congressional districts.

    With voting patterns in Louisiana breaking down starkly along racial lines, the result is that congressional candidates supported by the vast majority of Black voters never succeed in any of the five other districts. The result is underrepresentation of Black voters in Louisiana’s congressional delegation, with Black voters having an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in only one — or 16.7% — of the districts.

    Simultaneously, Louisiana’s white population is dramatically overrepresented. While only 58% of Louisiana’s population is non-Hispanic white, white voters — whose votes also break down along racial lines in most of the state—control the outcome in five out of six — or 83.3% — of the districts under the maps. That control has meant that no Black candidate has won election to any of those seats since the 19th century. Governor Edwards recognized this disparity and rightfully vetoed the legislature’s proposed map because, as he stated, it was “not fair to the people of Louisiana and does not meet the standards set forth in the federal Voting Rights Act.” 

    “People from every corner of Louisiana made their voices heard in the redistricting process in a unified call for fair and representative maps,” said Ashley Shelton, president and CEO of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. “They demanded a second majority-Black congressional district because the math is simple, and the law is clear. One-third of Louisiana voters are Black. One-third of six is two. The Voting Rights Act requires that Black voters have an equal opportunity to participate in our political processes, and our maps must reflect this. The governor did the right thing by vetoing the map and we hope the courts will now intervene to right the wrongs of the Legislature. The people of Louisiana deserve maps that represent all of us and no longer drown out the voices of Black voters.”

Elections and Politics

Ohio Election Official: 

Politics are Political; 

Election Administration is Not

By Mary Schuermann Kuhlman, Producer
Public News Service

    (PNS) - 2/10/2022 - Since Election Day 2020, the integrity and accuracy of the vote has been the subject of speculation across the country, with local boards of elections often caught in the crosshairs.

    Here in Ohio, election officials seem to have avoided much of the controversy. With far-right groups and supporters of former President Donald Trump still questioning the 2020 results, several red states have moved to give legislatures more power over elections instead of secretaries of state, and penalize election workers for technical mistakes.

    Aaron Sellers, public information officer for the Franklin County Board of Elections, said while politics are political, elections administration in Ohio is not.

    "Everything we do here is done in bipartisan teams," Sellers emphasized. "For example, when the voting-location person brings back the supplies on election night, if that person is a Republican, there's a Democrat ride-along person that comes along with them, or vice versa."

More than half of voters in a recent Quinnipiac poll said they do not believe there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Ohio's postelection audits revealed an accuracy rate of 99.98% in 2020 and 99.99% in 2021, based on data from counties utilizing a percentage-based audit.

    While other states scrambled to develop a plan for voting in 2020 due to COVID, Sellers pointed out Ohio was ahead of the curve. Critics argued mail-in voting is more susceptible to fraud, but he explained there are multiple verification processes before the ballot is even mailed out.

    "And when it is returned, there's additional measures that we go through before we put that in the pile to count," Sellers added. "It's verification signatures, the last four digits of their 'soc,' (Social Security number) their driver's license number, whatever they're providing, those things are checked on the front end and the back end before those ballots are counted."

    With Ohio's legislative and congressional district maps still not set in stone, Sellers noted boards of election are in a holding pattern when it comes to preparations for the May 3 primary.

    "We're just as anxious as I'm sure our elected officials are to get this resolved," Sellers emphasized. "Elections officials, we take an oath to do this, and when it's scheduled we'll do what we need to do like we did in 2020 because of COVID."

    Wednesday, Republican Senate President Matt Huffman suggested keeping the May 3 primary for statewide and local elections, and holding a second for statehouse and congressional seats. There are concerns about the cost for two primaries, as well as the possibility of lower turnout.

    Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York. Story credit: Public News Service, 2/10/2022, Mary Schuermann, Producer

Politics and Culture

Faith Group: IA Leaders 

Need to Stomp Out Extremism

By Mike Moen, Producer

Public News Service

 

Iowans take on extremism. (Adobe Stock)

    (PNS) - 2/4/2022 - Iowa policymakers are debating a number of politically divisive issues, and as the legislative process plays out, they are being urged to avoid rhetoric faith leaders argue intertwines with extremism.

    This week, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa sent a letter to the governor and state lawmakers asking them to be better role models, suggesting language stoking extremism will harm democracy. The letter cited recent incidents the group said intersect with divineness seen around the state.

    Rep. Ras Smith, D-Waterloo, spoke at a news conference, saying through his experience as a Black person, it's nothing new, but he added it does not mean recent events should be overlooked.

    "These attacks aren't just to cause fear, but some individuals have the intent to follow through," Smith cautioned.

    Smith noted he has received threatening emails and was part of a recent Zoom meeting infiltrated by agitators who displayed racist images and language. The letter was signed by more than 500 people and noted educators have been harassed when addressing diversity issues. It coincides with legislative efforts to limit certain curriculum and materials in schools, with sponsors arguing the need for transparency in the classroom.

    Rev. Meg Wagner, missioner for congregational development, communications, and reconciliation for the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, said as these incidents and debates escalate, they are likely to embolden people who feel the need to spread hate and fear.

    "We cannot allow these things to be normalized, and we see them all as interconnected," Wagner asserted. "We're calling on our lawmakers and all Iowans to do better and to be better."

    Among the requests detailed in the letter is a call for lawmakers and residents to seek out verified facts and to not promote misinformation. The signees also said dismantling racism should involve open dialogue about U.S. history and how certain events have impacted communities of color over time.

    Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York. Story credit: Public News Service, 2/4/2022, Mike Moen producer

Law and Politics

Groups Call New Ohio 

Congressional Map 

Unconstitutional and Partisan

    COLUMBUS, Ohio - (ACLU) - 12/3/2021 - The ACLU of Ohio, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Covington & Burling LLP filed a lawsuit on Nov. 30 challenging Senate Bill 258, which establishes new congressional districts for Ohio, giving Republicans an unconstitutional partisan advantage. This proposal was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine on November 20.

    The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, and several individuals.

    Earlier this month, the Ohio General Assembly voted to enact the map along strict party lines, with nearly all Republicans, but no Democrat, voting in favor. The enacted plan is heavily skewed to favor the Republican Party; it awards Republicans 67%-80% of Ohio’s congressional seats, although the party receives only 55% of Ohioans’ votes. Because this proposal received no support from the minority party, it will only be in place for four years, according to the terms of Article XIX, Section 1, of the Ohio Constitution.

    This is the second Ohio redistricting lawsuit filed this year by the ACLU and plaintiffs — the first was brought in September, to challenge the state House and Senate districts, which are also severely gerrymandered. Oral arguments in that case are set for December 8.

“Our elected officials have once again flagrantly violated the will of Ohioans, who have repeatedly voted for fair districts. Judicial intervention is critical to prevent these self-serving officials from perpetuating the terrible tradition of extreme partisan gerrymandering in our state. A core principle of republican government is that the voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around,” noted Freda Levenson, legal director of the ACLU of Ohio. “For the second time in two months, we ask the state’s highest court to enforce the Ohio Constitution, and ensure that Ohio voters are able to have a voice in their government.”

    Julie Ebenstein, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, commented: “Here we go again. Ohio politicians are making another brazen attempt to undermine voters, who amended their state Constitution to prevent gerrymandering. Yet try as they may, politicians do not get to choose their voters — voters get to choose their politicians.”

    As stated in the lawsuit: “The map unduly splits governmental units in the urban and suburban areas of southwestern and northeastern Ohio. In particular, the Enacted Plan splits counties and communities in Hamilton, Cuyahoga, and Summit — splits that are unnecessary for any purpose other than to minimize the efficacy of Democratic votes.”

    Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, critized mapmakers for defying voter desire for a bipartisan map.

    “The newly adopted congressional map is an affront to the Ohio Constitution and our democracy. Despite demanding reforms at the ballot box in 2018, Ohio voters are facing an even more extreme gerrymander than the congressional districts that they've been forced to live with for the past decade,” noted Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “From start to finish, mapmakers shamefully defied voter expectations of having a transparent, bipartisan, and public process that resulted in congressional districts that serve voters — not politicians. Ohioans deserve better.”

    “Under the enacted plan the Republicans can anticipate winning 67 percent to 80 percent of the congressional seats — even though they are only likely to obtain about 55 percent of the vote. The Ohio Constitution flatly prohibits that outcome,” Robert Fram of Covington & Burling LLP said.

    The case, League of Women Voters of Ohio et al v. Governor DeWine, was filed in the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Complaint: https://www.acluohio.org/sites/default/files/leagueofwomenvotersofohioetal-v-governordewineetal_complaint_2021-1130.pdf

The Political Divide

 New Studies Confirm 

Perceptual Differences Between

Political Parties

WASHINGTON -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- June 27, 2021 -- The 2020 election was unique in American politics. For the first time, an incumbent president lost the popular and electoral college votes but refused to concede the election, claiming without evidence that widespread fraud tainted the results. Yet U.S. history is rife with examples of contested election results and fraud claims. Was 2020 different in significant ways, and does that raise serious concerns about the health of our democracy?

The Democracy Fund Voter Study Group releases two reports on June 24 that shed light on these crucial questions. The reports – “Theft Perception: Examining the Views of Americans Who Believe the 2020 Election was Stolen,” by Lee Drutman of New America, and “Crisis of Confidence: How Election 2020 Was Different,” by Robert Griffin and Mayesha Quasem of the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group – suggest that 2020 was indeed unique and that faith in our democracy has been shaken to an unprecedented degree.

    “Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of our democracy, but it’s also important that the public trusts the results of those elections. Unfortunately, the 2020 election cycle and actions of former President Trump have shaken that trust,” Voter Study Group Research Director Robert Griffin said. “These reports provide details that help us understand how Americans perceive the electoral process, which may help policymakers address this serious crisis in confidence.”

    “It’s not uncommon to have some claims of voter fraud and lower trust among the losing party after elections, but 2020 stands out for the intensity and scale of mistrust in the election,” said Mayesha Quasem, research associate at Voter Study Group. “All of this raises serious concerns about the stability of our democracy going forward."

    Key findings – Crisis of Confidence

• A week after the 2020 presidential election, the overwhelming majority (93%) of Biden voters said that they were confident that the election was conducted fairly and accurately, but only 29% of Trump voters said the same. There was almost no difference in confidence between these groups in the week before Election Day.
• The percentage of Trump voters in 2020 who said they were not at all confident that their vote was tallied accurately was more than four times as high as the percentage of Clinton voters who said the same in 2016 (35% vs 8%).
• Fifty nine percent of Americans said that permanent harm had been done to the United States as a result of the election process.

    Theft Perception takes a closer look at the rise of the Stop the Steal movement sparked by former President Trump’s claims of a stolen election.

    “Republican politicians across the country have continued to support the narrative of a stolen election,” said Lee Drutman, senior fellow in the Political Reform program of New America. “While the sentiment is not necessarily surprising, in practice, we’re seeing a doubling down of this narrative, which is driving a new wave of state laws that restrict voting access.”

    Key findings – Theft Perception

• Republicans widely support Donald Trump and believe his claims about a stolen election. While Republicans support all elements of the “Stop the Steal” narrative in high numbers, the overall electorate largely rejects these claims and propositions.
• Among Republicans, 85% believe it was appropriate for Trump to file lawsuits challenging election results in several states, and the same proportion believe that vote-by-mail increases voter fraud.
• Republicans most committed to both Trump and the narrative of election fraud share a few other views in common: extreme antipathy toward Democrats and immigrants, belief that racism is not a problem, support for nationalism, belief in traditional family values and gender roles, and preference for a very limited role for government in the economy.

    Throughout the summer, Voter Study Group will release reports examining other Trump-era topics with implications for the future of American democracy including views on race, populism, trust in institutions and issue prioritization and the change and stability of the American electorate. The reports show the consequences and dangers of our leaders being irresponsible and spreading mis- and dis-information.

Interactive Data on Voter Views: Nationscape Insights

    From July 2019 to January 2021, the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape survey asked hundreds of thousands of Americans in every region of the U.S. about some of the nation’s biggest issues — including the economy, guns, healthcare, and climate change — and it tracked changes over time.

    First launched in partnership with USA TODAY, Nationscape Insights makes week-by-week Nationscape survey data available with interactive visualizations you can sort by race, gender, income, geography, education level, and political leanings. With Nationscape insights, it’s possible to dive deep on the policy preferences of groups once too small to examine but who were pivotal to election outcomes — to help make sense of an era, and election, like no other in America’s history.

    Refreshed with the final Nationscape dataset fielded November 12, 2020, through January 12, 2021, Nationscape Insights is now available on voterstudygroup.org.

About Democracy Fund Voter Study Group

    The Democracy Fund Voter Study Group is a research collaboration of more than two dozen analysts and scholars from across the political spectrum. Created in the wake of the 2016 election, the Voter Study Group’s goal is to better understand the American electorate by examining and delivering insights on the evolving views of American voters. Research and analysis from Voter Study Group members can be found at www.voterstudygroup.org and on Twitter @democracyfund.

Illinois Politics

J.B. Pritzker Has Brought 

Sanity and Leadership to Illinois

Governor Gets High Marks For Handling of Pandemic, Economy

By Steve Rensberry
Opinion / Analysis

    EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - 5-31-2021 - The year 2018 was a good one for J.B. Pritzker, but more importantly, for the state of Illinois.

    As you might recall, Pritzker, a Democrat, all but trounced former governor and Republican Bruce Rauner in that year's gubernatorial election, garnering a decisive 54.5 percent of the vote to Rauner's 38.8 percent. It was a big change from 2014, in which Rauner beat former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn with 50.27 percent of the vote compared to Quinn's 46.35 percent.

Illinois ranks No. 5. Source: statista. Click to enlarge.

    Proving that politics has indeed become a rich man's game, Rauner (a multi-millionaire) dumped some $26 million of his own money into the 2014 race, and another $70 million into the 2018 campaign. (1) But even with such an enormous investment in one's own election, it wasn't enough to fend off Pritzker (a billionaire), who spent $171 million of his own money to get elected. (2) This isn't counting all the additional campaign revenue raised by the two men.

    However, it wasn't just big money that decided the 2018 race, but the fact that the Republican's front-man simply failed at governing. "Rauner Deficit Increased 52% in FY17 to $14.7 Billion," one news release from Pritzker's election team reads (3). Talk is cheap, and Rauner, like most Republicans, was under the naive delusion that all the state needed to do was lower taxes and cut spending and its problems would be solved. One of his worst decisions was refusing to sign a budget for two years, essentially holding the state hostage until lawmakers approved a list of partisan demands. The fallout was felt by school districts, service organizations, and others all across the state, ultimately leading to a downgrading of the state's bond rating. (4)

    Bottom line: neither tax increases alone nor tax cuts alone are likely to solve the state's fiscal problems, we need both. That's what most economic experts I've read insist. But Republicans have been myopic and uncompromising on the issue -- and consequently have made the situation worse. (5)

    The scary part is that Rauner was not conservative enough for some, like his challenger Jeanne Ives, who narrowly lost to Rauner in the 2018 Republican Primary. Ives claimed she was motivated to run after Rauner signed into law HB-40, a bill that ensured abortion would remain legal in the state, and allow coverage for women with Medicaid or state-employee insurance coverage. (6)

    Pritzker, meanwhile, has stayed the course and acted as a governor should, with integrity, all the while taking a responsible lead on the pandemic and approving extended aid to unemployed workers. Nor has he dwelt on his losses, or become vindictive when rejected, as Rauner was prone to do. When voters gave Pritzker's graduated income tax proposal a thumbs down, he moved on to the task of governing and looked for other ways to balance the budget, including cuts. As luck would have it, the economy did better than expected and it was ultimately determined that no income tax increase would be needed to close a projected $3 billion budget deficit. (7)
  
    "Before JB became governor, for over two years a dysfunctional state government couldn’t even pass a budget. Services were cut, schools suffered, and families throughout the state paid the price because of a governor who didn’t get the job done," the governor's campaign site reads.

    One big disappointment in the 2018 state election was that the Illinois Chamber of Commerce still gave Rauner its endorsement, despite his dismal performance on the economy, citing opposition to Pritzker's "support for a graduated income tax, a $15 minimum wage, support for trial lawyers' agenda and lack of a meaningful commitment to reforming pensions and restoring fiscal integrity to our finances." (8)

    The Chamber's position on such contested issues was revealing in terms of showing its ideological biases, and unfortunately fits a pattern of siding against Illinois families, against poor and underpaid workers, and against people injured through medical malpractice or negligence.

    So here we are, a year and a few months away from the next gubernatorial election, set for Nov. 8, 2022. The opposition is ready with their "Pritzker Sucks" signs, their accusations that Illinois' population is "dramatically" shrinking because of a high tax burden and Democratic policies, and claims that Pritzker's tax policies will destroy businesses and hurt downstate residents. None of it is true, but I'm not sure the opposition cares because in their minds winning is everything. It's the new paradigm.

    What has Pritzker done while in office? Does he deserve a second chance? Consider the following list of achievements, as posted on Pritzker's official campaign site, here.

Government

• Passed a balanced, bipartisan budget that begins to pay down debts from the prior administration.
• Improved our bond outlook to “stable” for the first time in years.
• Passed a public safety pension consolidation bill to help lower property taxes and reduce future budget pressure.
• Reduced state pension liabilities with an employee pension buyout program.

The Economy

• Launched the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, the largest in state history, to rebuild roads, bridges, and communities and create and support hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs.
• Prepared our children for the jobs of the future by expanding skills development and focusing community college programs on the fastest growing industries.
• Raised the minimum wage to a living wage for all Illinois workers.
• Made college more affordable for Illinois students by expanding in-state scholarships and making more merit scholarships available for high-performing students.
• Created a minority business loan fund.
  

Business

• Launched an effort to bring high-speed broadband internet to every corner of the state
• Created a minority business loan fund.
• Developed new incentives for job creation on new construction and renovations in underserved communities.
• Refocused community college workforce development programs to concentrate on high-growth industries.
• Signed the most equity-centric cannabis legalization plan in the nation to invest in communities hit hardest by the war on drugs.
• Encouraged new job creation and workforce development with an apprenticeship tax credit for businesses.
• Extended the film industry tax credit, creating and supporting thousands of entertainment industry jobs in Illinois.
• Elevated the innovation economy with new business incubators and an extension of the research and development tax credit for manufacturers.
  

Early Education

• Expanded child care assistance eligibility to 10,000 more children.
• Strengthened early childhood education and child care with the biggest investment ever in Illinois into early childhood programs and facilities.

K-12 Education

• Provided historic funding levels for K-12 students across the state.
• Raised the minimum salary for teachers.
• Expanded skills development with new investments in vocational training in high school.
  

    Illinois is a lot of things, and by no means perfect, but to call it a failed state, never mind a haven for "judicial hell holes," is pure partisanship. It is often compared to surrounding states as though there were any real parity, but considering the state's contribution to the nation's overall GDP, Illinois is a powerhouse of productivity and opportunity by comparison, ranking No. 5 nationwide and outranked only by Florida, New York, Texas, and California. Neighboring Indiana is ranked No. 18, Wisconsin No. 21, and Missouri No. 22. (9)

    Although Pritzker has not yet officially announced his candidacy for re-election, the Chicago Sun-Times reported this past March that he had already made a $35 million campaign contribution, so it seems likely. (10)

    I don't think I'm alone in recognizing that the Republican Party has a problem on its hands, not just because of Pritzker's popularity and success, but because of the growing influence of extremists within its ranks.

    A May 14 story written by Sarah Nardi for WGLT is insightful. Reporting on a meeting of the Lincoln Club of McLean County, in which former Gov. Jim Edgar, Rep. Dan Brady, and former Illinois Republic Party Chairman Pat Brady served as panel members, Nardi writes: "Edgar said the problem facing Republicans in a gubernatorial race is the growing chasm between a state that's moving left and a party that's moving right . . . . To reclaim the governor's office, Edgar said Republicans will have to unite behind a moderate candidate -- something hard-line conservatives will resist. But a shifting electorate means that in the Chicago suburbs, a once reliable source of GOP votes, people aren't casting ballots for Republicans the way they once did." (11)

    Nardi writes that Edgar acknowledged the shifting political landscape, and how much things have changed. "My definition of a moderate (Republican) is what would've been an extreme conservative 20 years ago," Edgar is quoted as saying.

    So there you have it. An admission, by at least one prominent Republican, that Illinois' second major political party is definitely not what it used to be, is conflicted, and has essentially normalized its most extreme elements.

    Is that the kind of leadership we need in Illinois? I think not.

    Illinois has had bad luck with governors, both Republican and Democratic, but today's Democratic Party -- and Pritzker specifically -- have earned my confidence. He is what Illinois has needed. If Pritzker goes the way of Ryan, Blagojevich, or Rauner, making things worse instead of better, then he should be held accountable, but in today's climate of extremism, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a Republican challenger worth considering. 

Citations
1) Rauner 2018 Race Campaign Finance (politico)
2) Rauner, Pritzker Spending For Governor (NBC Chicago)
3) How Bad is the Illinois Deficit (politico)
4) Fitch Downgrades Illinois (Fitch Ratings)
5) Governor's Budget Cuts Costs, Corporate Tax Breaks (Bloomberg)
6) Jeanne Ives (wikipedia)
7) No Income Tax Hike Needed (WTTW)
8) Illinois Chamber Endorses Rauner (Effingham Radio)
9) States and Territories Ranked by GDP (wikipedia)
10) Pritzker Re-election Campaign Contribution (Chicago Sun Times)
11) GOP Leaders Say Moderate Governor Candidate Key (WGLT)

Culture and Politics

2020: A Year of Social Panic,

Spiking Gun Sales, and 

a Pandemic That Still Rages 

 

By Steve Rensberry
Opinion / Analysis

_________________

    EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - 1/1/2021 - The year 2020 was one for the history books. Gun sales went through the roof, murder and violent shootings practically doubled in major cities across the country, political tensions and polarization was fiercer than ever, and the leader of the free world -- angry at losing an election -- has repeatedly tried to redefine reality, peddle election conspiracies, and downplay a pandemic that has claimed more than 330,000 American lives.

    

Firearms manufactured in the U.S. by type. Source: ATF

     

    The trends are worth documenting, and analyzing, though at least one writer on the subject urges patience given the uncertainty and complexity of the situation. Yes, murder and shootings were up significantly in Chicago, but they were also significantly up in most every other major city in the country. Crime analyst Jeff Asher, in fact, looked at 50 major U.S. cities this past year and concluded that murder was up on average by 35-36 percent relative to 2019, all but blowing away the previous year-to-year record change of 12.5 percent.

    Also, while people have been buying guns like it was bread at the supermarket, experts have noted that an estimated 40 percent of those purchases have been by first-time buyers, at least in Illinois, and most were handguns -- which I suppose is a bit more comforting than AK-47s or rocket launchers.

    One indication of just how record-shattering gun sales were in Illinois in 2020 comes from the Illinois State Police (ISP), who reported in early December that they were battling an enormous backlog of Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card applications.

    The demand has been outstripping the ISP's capacity for years, the ISP said, with the number of FOID card holders growing from 1.2 to 2.2 million in just the past decade. The number of concealed carry permit holders in the state grew from 90,301 in 2014 to 343,2099 in 2020, a three-fold increase.

  

Firearm registration per state. Source: ATF

 "Due to the lengthy budget impasses, the Firearms Services Fund (FSF) was 'swept' in 2015 and 2018 and no plan to maintain or expand staffing was developed during that period," the ISP stated in the notice. "The current administration has not swept the fund and, in 2019, new leadership over ISP FSB (Illinois State Police Firearm Services Bureau) initiated a hiring plan and metrics-based strategic plan focused on outcomes and accountability. This year, the ISP FSB was confronted with a massive work increase across all categories."

    From 2017 to 2020, FOID card applications increased in Illinois by 167 percent, and Firearm Transfer Inquiry Program (FTIP) requests increased by 45 percent from where it was in 2019, to 506,104.

    "ISP FSB processed an unprecedented 64,000+ FTIPs in March 2020 -- the largest number recorded for one month until that record was broken in June with 65,000+ FTIPs," the ISP stated. "More than 400,000 calls came into the FSB Call Center from May to November when a new automated phone system with metrics was activated."

    In 2019, ISP data showed there were 2,285,990 active FOID card holders in the state and 325,187 people with permits to carry a concealed weapon. Although submitting one's fingerprints can speed up the application process, especially for a concealed carry permit, it is not mandated. "Only 0.06% of FOID card holders were fingerprinted as part of the FOID/FCCL application process," the ISP states. 

    FOID card applications totaled 170,178 in 2014, 163,172 in 2015, 187,947 in 2016, 166,649 in 2017, and 256,353 in 2018. In 2019, they climbed slightly higher to roughly 262,000. However, from January 2020 to November 2020 the ISP received 445,945 applications. The number of Illinois residents with concealed carry licenses, meanwhile, has climbed to more than 343,300.

    What is fueling the historic rise? That question has been asked by multiple experts since at least mid-summer. In a Dec. 12, 2020 news story for the Peoria Journal Star, writers Ann Sweeney and Stacy St. Clair quote Illinois State Police Director Brendon Kelly as saying the increase is "undeniable," and describing it as a reflection of tensions seen across the country.

    Sweeney and St. Clair cite an initial spike in March as COVID-19 began to spread and Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued stay-at-home orders. "In that month alone, there were 64,000 background checks performed in anticipation of a firearm sale," they write. Another spike happened in June when racial protests began to spread, with more than 65,000 inquiries.

    Because the tracking of private sales is limited, the total number of guns sold during 2020 is likely to be higher than the 506,104 logged through the Firearm Transfer Inquiry Program, they said. It is also unclear exactly how many firearms are being sold to one individual following just one background check.

    To me, the surge in violent shootings is horrendously sad, and another indication that we simply have a long way to go in reducing crime in the country. Is it due to a lack of policing effectiveness? The result of police being less aggressive for fear of a backlash, or undertaking fewer patrols because too many officers are off sick with COVID-19? Some officials have speculated as much.

    The good news, if you can call it that, is that the current spike in violent crime follows several years of declining numbers, representing mostly a setback.

    As for the spike in gun purchases, it smacks me as both reactionary and fear-driven, yet sadly understandable given the spirit of the times. A lot of people don't feel safe and they don't trust the police, and sometimes even their neighbors. The downside is that experts fear it could seriously increase the risk of suicides, lead to more overall crime through firearm theft and misuse, and lead to more injuries or accidental deaths by first-time buyers, many of whom may have received less than rigorous training because of the pandemic.

    Meanwhile, here we are at the start of another year and COVID-19 infections continue to claim lives, despite the roll-out of promising vaccines. It needs to happen faster.

    What can be said about the pandemic this past year that hasn't already been said? Although it has been highly politicized in the U.S., the fact that it has spread the world over, leading at last count to 1.82 million deaths worldwide and 83.4 million total cases, should be enough for people to pull together and defeat a common enemy.

    As we head into 2021, we can only hope. 

 

Reference

The Complicated Truth About Chicago Crime

Illinois Sees Record Increase in Firearm Permit Requests

What's Behind a Sharp Rise in Murders Across the U.S.?