#488 Democrats, Referendums November 22, 2019
Dems: Action Alerts Act Blue is a conduit for on-line donations to Democratic organizations. Our member group Democrats for Life (DFLA) being such a group, they applied. They support Democratic stands on healthcare, paid leave, and similar life-affirming positions. They only support Democratic candidates. But since they oppose abortion, Act Blue turned them down. DFLA asks this: “If you have an ActBlue account, contact them to say that, as a pro-life Democrat, you will be canceling your account until they follow their own policy to allow any Democrat to use their tools.”
Another problem: the Democratic Attorneys General Association has decided they won’t support any pro-life democrats running for state attorney general. If you’re in one of the states with a Democratic attorney general, we encourage you do communicate displeasure directly to her or him.
Dems: Cracks? One of the presidential candidates, Andrew Yang, has a policy of Universal Basic Income of $1,000 per month; we have no position on the policy, of course. But it’s fascinating one of the ways Yang’s campaign applied the idea:
Meanwhile, the Democratic debate November 20 had the normal good discussion opposing poverty and racism, with no comments on the death penalty and euthanasia. Discussion on war was mixed; unfortunately, Elizabeth Warren suggested more Americans should sign up for the military. On abortion, there was the usual question to which the response was the usual responses, out of touch with the violence that abortion entails. However, as a new point, Rachel Maddow noting the recent victory of John Bel Edwards as Democrat governor of Louisiana, asked if there was a place for anti-abortion Democrats in the party. Elizabeth Warren gave a boilerplate pro-abortion answer without catching the actual question, so Maddow asked it again. Fortunately, Warren responded with a tepid idea that all are welcome, said in words that suggested she hadn’t really taken time to devote thought to the point.
Our member group Democrats for Life (DFLA) held a rally outside the debate.
Upcoming Referendums The U.S. is having a major election November 3, 2020, and we started a list of U.S. state referendums in a blog post. We plan to launch a website called Peace & Life Referendums on January 6. Over the next few weeks, we’ll highlight some of them. This week: Poverty and Racism On issues of abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment, people pretty much know where they stand; referendums are straightforward. But rare is the person who admits to favoring poverty or racism. Still we’ve identified some possibilities. Positive for alleviating poverty: Medicaid expansion - Oklahoma and Missouri Minimum wage - Florida, Idaho, and Missouri Negative for promoting racism – need to defeat: Massachusetts Prevent Sanctuary Cities Initiative Missouri Cities Required to Cooperate with ICE Initiative Missouri No Removal of Historic Memorials without Legislative Approval Initiative We’ll add writing, videos, and artwork to the new website to help educate people on the connections to consistent-life issues. Anyone wanting to contribute those, or simply offer points that should be made or links to other good websites, can send them to weekly@consistent-life.org.
Latest CLN Blog Post Julia Smucker raised concerns with her pastors in person, and one of them asked her to write it as a letter addressed to her church: On Praying for the Military
Quotation of the Week United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) Whereas the child, by reason of his [or her] physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth . . .
Responses/News Tips/Questions to share are all welcome.
Send to weekly@consistent-life.org.