The LuLac Edition #4,541, June 17th, 2021

 SUPREME COURT ONCE MORE UPHOLDS OBAMA CARE 

Fact: The right wingers who have been wanting to replace the Affordable Care Act since it passed  NEVER had an alternative plan. 

Fact: The Affordable Care Act works and is popular. 

Fact: The Supreme Court has ruled AGAIN to uphold the ACA. . 

Fact: The joker right wing Conservative idiots who want to take Health Care away from people are unpatriotic thug PIGS! 

THAT IS ALL!

 

BIDEN TO PUTIN-PAPA DON'T PREACH 

 

So Putin makes  false equivalency  with his regime of silencing critics with the January 6th insurrection? Wow, that takes stones but it was not unexpected. 

What should be made clear though is that the Russian leader has been enabled by January 6th deniers like Dan Mueser and Fred "Jeez I love God, I'll tell ya about it every chance I get" Keller who have voted no on an investigation to see what happened. 

Hours after almost getting their asses killed these two clowns voted to not certify the Presidential election. I get Putin, he's spouting his party line, what I will never understand is why the Republican party by its acquiescence to a lie from the ugly mouth of their lord and savior Donald Trump has given a Russian adversary cover. 

Plus the Trumpanzees are very likely to side with Putin instead of a duly elected President. 

 

JOE MANCHIN SIGNALS HE'S OPEN TO FILIBUSTER REFORM, OFFERING HOPE TO DEMOCRATS

Sen. Joe Manchin is signaling he may be open to reforming the filibuster, offering hope to Democrats who are eager to push their legislative agenda through Congress without the 60 votes currently required by the Senate rule.

On Monday, Manchin joined a private Zoom call hosted by No Labels, an operation that combats partisan dysfunction and funnels donor money to conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans, to discuss the filibuster, infrastructure negotiations and the failed efforts to create a January 6 commission.

In remarks obtained by The Intercept, Manchin said he would consider lowering the threshold to beat the filibuster or forcing the minority to show up on the Senate floor in large enough numbers to maintain a filibutser.

"That's one of many good, good suggestions I've had," the senator said about lowering the cloture total from 60 to 55.

"I looked back...when it went from 67 votes to 60 votes, and also what was happening, what made them think that it needed to change. So I'm open to looking at it, I'm just not open to getting rid of the filibuster, that's all," he added.

Prior to these comments, Manchin has been a staunch opponent of eliminating the filibuster, a move most Democrats have supported in hopes of advancing legislation in the narrowly divided chamber.

Manchin has expressed interest in stepping up and just might turn out to be a hero. Let's hope so. (Politico, LuLac) 

 

MCCARTHY  ON THE ROPES

The more people see of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the less they seem to like. Over the last six years, as the California Republican has gone from being largely unknown among U.S. voters to a national figure, his polling numbers have trended downward. According to Quinnipiac's May 26 poll, McCarthy now has the lowest favorability rate of top congressional leaders at just 12% — an astounding three points lower than Sen. Mitch McConnell.

That includes groups conservative leaders need to appeal to: A Morning Consult/Politico May 21-24 poll found McCarthy with high unfavorability ratings among several groups critical to the GOP coalition. Christians had a 28% favorable and 41% unfavorable view of him, retirees had a 26% favorable and 49% unfavorable view of him, and families with a military member as head of household had a 29% favorable and 39% unfavorable view of him.

He's not endearing himself to Donald Trump fans, either. The same Morning Consult/Politico's poll found that among 2020 Trump voters who had an opinion of McCarthy, 37% had an unfavorable view of him. Compare that to an October 2018 poll by The Economist/YouGov, which found among Trump 2016 voters who had an opinion of McCarthy, only 22% were unfavorable.

McCarthy wasn't always a household name. Back in 2015, when he ran unsuccessfully for House Speaker before dropping out of that contest, Public Policy Polling reported, "Kevin McCarthy has made a horrible first impression on the American public to the extent he has made an impression at all." At that point, according to the poll, 50% of voters said they had no opinion about him. Since then, McCarthy's name recognition has been on the rise, as documented by Morning Consult/Politico: In January 2019, only 41% of those polled said they had never heard of McCarthy, a number that dropped to 22% in January 2020 and fell yet again to 16% in January of 2021. In the May poll, the latest, the number who drew a blank on McCarthy was just 15%.

According to right-leaning pollster Richard Baris of Big Data Poll, most individuals who know who McCarthy is now rate him as unfavorable. On Steve Bannon's "WarRoom: Pandemic" podcast, Baris said late last week that McCarthy's unfavorable ratings are coming from independents and Republicans, with four in ten Republicans now having a "very unfavorable" view of McCarthy.

There doesn't seem to be one dominating reason why the House Minority Leader isn't more widely embraced by his own party's voters. But a closer look at recent events and numbers reveals some interesting possibilities.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson revealed on May 3 that McCarthy has been living with political consultant Frank Luntz, whom Carlson derides as "a smooth salesman" pushing political messaging onto Republican politicians that reflects values more liberal than conservative. By drawing attention to McCarthy's close ties to Luntz, Carlson fans might have the impression that McCarthy isn't to be trusted as a conservative champion either.

And Carlson's influence matters. In March, Luntz himself did some polling for a nonprofit client, the de Beaumont Foundation, which found that most Trump 2020 voters — 52% — were most aligned with Trump rather than the GOP. And Luntz also found that Republican voters who were most aligned with former President Donald Trump trusted Tucker Carlson the most out of a list of conservative media figures on information related to the evolving coronavirus pandemic — more even than his fellow Fox News primetime host, the Trump-friendly Sean Hannity. It's a fair observation that Carlson's perspective carries significant weight with the MAGA crowd, and Carlson exposing McCarthy as a close friend of Luntz's likely didn't do the representative any favors with them.

Two ethics complaints have also been filed against McCarthy, following a month of Washington Post Fact Checker articles documenting his living arrangements with Luntz. Salon has also published multiple exclusive stories reporting on Luntz's ethical lapses with media outlets VICE News/HBO and the LA Times. Salon went onto report that Luntz's ex-employees have called his research a scam, that Luntz's current employees were mostly Democrats, and covered other instances of Luntz appearing in the media without disclosing that he was working for a candidate or party. McCarthy's relationship to Luntz ensured the Congressional leader would remain in the spotlight alongside the embattled consultant, which can't have helped his favorability ratings.

In the wake of the Luntz revelation, McCarthy appears to have flipped his position on key issues, perhaps in a bid to juice his appeal with fans of both Trump and Carlson.

On May 4, the morning after Carlson's exposé, McCarthy went on cable news to say he had lost confidence in Liz Cheney — one of the most prominent Republicans pushing back against the Big Lie — as GOP Conference Chair, after backing her on the same vote in February. And after tapping a trusted lieutenant, Rep. John Katko, to negotiate a bipartisan January 6 Commission, McCarthy came out against the bipartisan agreement, and even whipped the House GOP conference to vote against the commission on a May 19 vote. Embarrassingly for McCarthy, a total of 35 Republican House members defied him and voted for the commission. Carlson has scoffed at the need for a January 6 investigation, and is no fan of Cheney nor her response to the Capitol insurrection.

McCarthy's favorability freefall might also have cleared room for the maybe-idle speculation that Trump could run for a Florida congressional seat and potentially become Speaker of the House if the GOP regains its lower chamber majority in 2022.

On Tuesday morning, McCarthy seemed more concerned with Joe Biden's domestic politics than an impending MAGA explosion of the Republican Party. "Well I remember past presidents who believe politics end at the water's edge, but apparently, President Biden doesn't believe that," McCarthy said. "He complained about Republicans but he complimented Putin. I think he kind of has this backwards." 

McCarthy might do well to remember the over reach of one Newt Gingrich who went too far. (AP, LuLac)

 

CRYBABY JORDAN DEFIES LOGICAL THINKING

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan excoriated a top Justice Department official on Tuesday for spurning attempts by then-President Donald Trump’s chief of staff to get officials to investigate several election fraud claims as his presidency was coming to a close.

“That is a problem,” Jordan said. “When the chief of staff to the president of the United States asks someone in the executive branch to do something, and they basically give him the finger, I think that’s the problem we should be looking into.”

Jordan also accused former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen of insubordination and defended Meadows’ actions.

Jordan expressed that he was particularly perturbed by one message in which Rosen told a deputy he would blow off Meadows after the chief of staff urged him to have Civil Division chief Jeffrey Clark explore “allegations of signature match anomalies” in Fulton County, Ga.

“Can you believe this? I am not going to respond to message below,” Rosen wrote then-acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue.

Jordan’s attack came at a House Oversight committee hearing hours after it released emails documenting the Justice Department’s response to the Trump White House’s effort to pursue election fraud claims as the outgoing president refused to accept the legitimacy of his defeat to Joe Biden.

Included in the records are emails showing Meadows urging investigators to look at a YouTube video of a former intelligence officer who alleged that people in Italy were surreptitiously altering votes in United States elections via satellites.

“Pure insanity,” Donoghue wrote in response to an email Meadows sent on New Year’s Day pertaining to the Italy theory, one of several emails Jordan cited.

One of the former president’s most vocal allies, Jordan said that Meadows’ entreaties were no different than those routinely taken by government aides.

“Every chief of staff, I bet, for every one of us sends the same kinds of letters and emails every day,” Jordan said.

Jordan seemingly dismissed the notion that Meadows’ effort
s were inappropriate. “Mark Meadows putting a lot of pressure on people, asking ‘can you look into this allegation,’” Jordan said. “Wow. Lot of pressure there,” he said at another point.

While Jordan sharply criticized the response from Rosen and other Justice Department aides, the Ohio Republican did not address longstanding White House policies that limit contacts between White House officials like Meadows and Justice Department officials about specific investigations. Trump’s first White House counsel, Don McGahn, issued a memo in January 2017 that said: “The President, Vice President, Counsel to the President, and Deputy Counsel to the President are the only White House individuals who may initiate a conversation with DOJ about a specific case or investigation.” (MSN News) 

 

REP. CARTWRIGHT-LED LOCAL TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS TOTALING NEARLY $20 MILLION INCLUDED IN SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BILL

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that all 11 Member Designated Project requests totaling nearly $20 million that he submitted to the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee for consideration were included in the recently unveiled INVEST IN America Act, a $547 billion surface transportation reauthorization package. The bill was introduced on Friday, June 4, and the T&I Committee announced the approved Member Designated Projects this week. The Committee will review the bill in a markup on Wednesday, June 9. If approved by the Committee, the bill will advance to the floor for a vote by the full U.S. House.

“These are federal investments to be made directly in Northeastern Pennsylvania that will help make roads and bridges safer while creating local jobs,” said Rep. Cartwright. “I’m grateful to the Committee for including our projects and enabling local leaders to speak with a louder voice through their members of Congress when it comes to how federal dollars are spent in our communities. Our work is only beginning. I’ll continue advocating for these projects every step of the way to ensure this funding makes it back to Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

This year, the T&I Committee accepted funding requests – formally called Member Designated Project Requests (MDPs) – from House members for important transportation and infrastructure projects in their Congressional Districts. State Departments of Transportation (DOT), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), transit agencies or local governments were eligible to submit these requests to their member of Congress. Submission of a project by a member of Congress does not guarantee that the project will be funded.

Rep. Cartwright worked with eligible local leaders to identify projects and submitted 11 MDPs in April in accordance with T&I Committee guidance. Rep. Cartwright’s MDP requests follow.

LACKAWANNA COUNTY

Blakely Borough Main Street Corridor Improvement Project

Location: Blakely Borough, Lackawanna County

Funding Request: $1,497,416.75

Project Sponsor: Lackawanna County, PA

Description: Full-depth restoration of nearly a half-mile of roadway to remove the original brick that is causing the roadway to deform due to inadequate subsurface support and milling and repaving over another mile of roadway that is severely cracked and potholed. In addition, stormwater drainage issues will be addressed and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps will be constructed where needed.

County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) Transit Facility

Location: 800 North South Road, Scranton, PA 18504

Funding Request: $5,000,000

Project Sponsor: County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS)

Description: Funding is designated for the renovation of COLTS’ Administration building, the last major renovation of which occurred more than 35 years ago. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and will be beneficial because the facility has experienced significant wear and tear and an overhaul is much needed to promote efficient operations. The project design also places the maintenance area away from the administrative section of the building, which is a necessary safety alteration to the complex.

“County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) appreciates the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approving our funding request to improve COLTS’ Maintenance and Administration Facility. This long-awaited, state-of-the-art facility will enhance our transit operations as we seek to provide the best service for our community. COLTS also appreciates PennDOT and all of the time and energy its staff has devoted toward the implementation of this project. Ultimately, the real winners of today’s announcement are the residents, students, seniors, employers and workers of Lackawanna County, as COLTS continues to help people return to work,” said COLTS Executive Director Robert Fiume.

LUZERNE COUNTY

Crestwood Drive Resurfacing Project

Location: Wright Township, Luzerne County

Funding Request: $1,200,000

Project Sponsor: Luzerne County, PA

Description: Resurfacing of 1.72 miles of Crestwood Drive in Wright Township from State Route 309 to State Route 437 where there are numerous pavement cracks, especially in the wheel locations due to the industrial park’s truck traffic. New signing and pavement markings will also be installed to enhance driver safety. This project will enhance safety along this corridor and promote commerce as this is the main access road for the Crestwood Industrial Park.

Hazleton Bus and Bus Infrastructure

Location: 126 West Mine Street, Hazleton, PA 18201

Funding Request: $1,500,000

Project Sponsor: Lackawanna/Luzerne Transportation Study MPO

Description: Replacement of two diesel buses with two compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and to purchase land and create a park & ride lot. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and will be beneficial because (1) the new buses will give Hazleton Public Transit (HPT) passengers a more comfortable and up-to-date public transportation experience while benefiting the environment, and (2) the park & ride lot will supplement the very limited parking currently available to HPT and intercity bus customers, which will increase ridership, reduce traffic congestion and benefit the environment.

Lower Demunds Road Resurfacing Project

Location: Dallas Township, Luzerne County

Funding Request: $1,200,000

Project Sponsor: Luzerne County, PA

Description: Resurfacing of 1.96 miles of Lower Demunds Road in Dallas Township from State Route 1014 to State Route 1044 where there are numerous pavement cracks. New signing and pavement marking will be installed to enhance driver safety.

Sleepy Hollow Road Bridge Replacement

Location: Butler Township, Luzerne County

Funding Request: $1,200,000

Project Sponsor: Luzerne County, PA

Description: This project is to replace a single span bridge over Nescopeck Creek.  The current bridge is posted for 10 tons and limits accessibility between St. John’s Road and SR 309. The replacement bridge will have no load postings and permit two lanes of traffic. In addition to the new bridge, the approach roadway paving, guiderail, and signing will be included. This project will improve safety and promote connectivity between State Route 309 and St. John’s Road.

“The Luzerne County Council greatly appreciates the efforts of our Congressman, Matt Cartwright, to include four projects in the Transportation & Infrastructure bill. The inclusion of these projects would be a significant milestone in improving and upgrading county roads,” said Luzerne County Council Chair Tim McGinley.

“These monies will help fund the replacement of two diesel buses with two compressed natural gas buses. In addition, this proposal includes the purchase of an adjacent parcel which will be used to start a ‘Park & Ride’ program. The total estimated cost is $2 million. The extra funds will be a combined effort from PennDOT, which has been a major supporter of improving service at the HPT and our local ‘match’ programs. Both projects will not only improve and expand public transportation in Luzerne County, but also help in preserving the environment,” said Hazleton Public Transit Director Ralph Sharp.

 

SENATE ADVANCES KEY PROVISIONS IN CASEY-CORTEZ MASTO WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPLOYMENT IN TRADE ACT

Senator Bob Casey (LuLac archives) 

U.S. Senator Bob Casey announced that the Senate has advanced key provisions in his legislation with U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the Women’s Economic Employment in Trade Act. The United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, advanced by the Senate this week, includes measures Senator Casey authored to promote human rights and the economic empowerment of women and address discrimination in our Nation’s trade and development program, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

Around the world, women disproportionately face challenges in the workplace and barriers to entering the workforce. These challenges include legal barriers to work, restrictions on property ownership, restricted educational opportunities, violence and harassment and wage discrimination. The Women’s Economic Empowerment in Trade Act would ensure countries receiving trade preferences under GSP strengthen standards on worker rights, human rights and the rights of women.

“The advancement of women’s rights and economic empowerment is a matter of human rights, economics and global security. The improvements to the Generalized System of Preferences contained in the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 are long overdue and will ensure countries receiving trade preferences under GSP protect and strengthen the rights of women and workers. The Senate, in advancing this legislation, is affirming the leadership of the United States in upholding the rights of workers, human rights and supporting women’s full economic participation, globally,” said Senator Casey.

“U.S. trade preferences shouldn’t be supporting countries whose industries exclude women, violate human rights, or discriminate against them,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Under my legislation, if a country wants to trade with America, its industries should follow standards that empower women. Standing up for women will always be a priority of mine, and I’m proud to see a bipartisan majority in the Senate pass the provisions I worked on with Senator Casey so we can better empower them across the globe.”

A 2015 study by the McKinsey Global Institute found that reducing or eliminating gender-based discrimination could increase global GDP by $12 trillion to $28 trillion. And, new research draws the connection between gender discrimination, particularly as it relates to family law, and societal outcomes, with worse outcomes for: conflict, stability, economic performance, governance and food security.

The GSP renewal contains numerous Democratic priorities, including those proposed by Senators Casey and Cortez Masto to: 

Add new mandatory eligibility criteria, which countries must meet to be eligible for GSP, on human rights.

Add criteria, which the President takes into account when designating a country as a GSP beneficiary, on equal protection under law and women’s economic empowerment;

Update the definition of “internationally recognized worker rights” to include the elimination of discrimination in occupation and employment.

Provide new reporting requirements on how GSP promotes worker rights and women’s economic empowerment.

Directs USTR to encourage and support the reporting by beneficiary developing countries of sex-disaggregated economic and business data, including the gathering of information consistent with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

 

WHAT JOHN FETTERMAN BELIEVES

Senatorial candidate John  Fetterman

The minimum wage should be a living wage of at least $15 an hour. All work has dignity, and all paychecks must too.

Health care is a fundamental human right – just like housing, food, and education.

Climate change is an existential threat. We need to transition to clean energy as quickly as possible, and we can create millions of good union jobs in the process.

Weed should be legal, nationwide — for jobs, justice, veterans, farmers, and revenue. It’s time to end the failed war on drugs.

Immigration is what makes America, America. We need a compassionate response to immigration reform that actually treats immigrants like human beings.

Black Lives Matter. John served as mayor of a city that’s more than 80% Black, and has championed the idea that Black lives matter since long before it became a hashtag.

The union way of life is sacred. It’s what built this nation, and it must be protected. 

A woman’s right to an abortion is non-negotiable. Women should have control over their own bodies and their own lives. Period.

LGBTQIA+ communities deserve equal protections under the law. John has always stood for equality, and was one of the first elected officials in PA to officiate a same-sex wedding – when it was still illegal.

Get corporate money out of politics. John refuses contributions from corporate PACs, and he signed the “No Fossil Fuel Money” Pledge.

 

MEDIA MATTERS 

 

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

 Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on The Mothership 1340/1400 am, 100.7 and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on The River 105 and 103.5. 

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT  

 

1987

Our 1987

Michael Spinks TKOs Gerry Cooney in 5 for heavyweight boxing title……..Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, opens…….New York City subway gunman Bernhard Getz acquitted on all but gun possession charges after shooting 4 black youths who tried to rob him……..With the death of the last individual, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow becomes extinct………Charles Glass, ABC journalist, kidnapped in Lebanon………….. Discovery rolls over from OPF to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida).. International Labour Organisation, meeting for its annual conference in Geneva, calls for international sanctions against South African minerals….. A bomb blast in a Johannesburg video-game arcade kills an unborn baby and injures ten people, the CFL's Montreal Alouettes fold and this week in 1987 the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Just To See Her” by Smokey Robinson.