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John --
What do
we mean at the Forward Party when we talk about “extremism”? When we
say we oppose the “extremists,” who are they?
Extremism
is a label often wielded blindly to discredit ideas or movements in
lieu of substantive reasoning. And with the water sufficiently
muddied, extremism is able to flourish under the cover of
confusion.
But a
recent story helps us drill down into one kind of extremism that has
taken hold in our democracy.
As we
reported in last week’s Forwardist, two Tennessee state
representatives—Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson—were ousted from
the House by a Republican supermajority for breaching rules of
decorum: using a bullhorn on the House floor, speaking without being
recognized, and leading protests calling for gun restrictions
following the mass shooting at a Nashville school on March
27.
It
certainly may be reasonable to sanction members of a legislative body
for breaching these rules. What's unreasonable is to take the rare and
extreme measure of expulsion. Though the Nashville Metro Council
unanimously voted earlier this week to override the expulsion and
reinstate Jones, and the Shelby County Commission voted
today to reappoint Pearson, the message was undeniable: governing
power will be used to weaken the opposition.
According
to state constitutional law expert Miriam Seifter, “Most expulsions have involved criminal
conduct or abusive behavior, not suppression of dissent or targeting
of political opponents. The Tennessee expulsions are therefore an
extremely concerning outlier.”
What
happened in Tennessee was a form of extremism, and it’s anathema in a
democracy, which relies on reason and fair play to function optimally.
This form of extremism—the zero-sum, party-above-all-else kind—is just
one type that Forward is standing against.
It’s also
why our work on reforming our democracy is so critical to restoring
the promise of America. By improving our electoral systems, creating
greater choice for voters, and fixing the incentive structures in our
broken politics, we can replace this type of extremism with
accountability and solutions-oriented leadership—in short, with a
functioning government. The sooner we’re able to deliver those
changes, the better.
Because
once it becomes normal to use political power against your opponents,
that window is very difficult to close.
Forwardist Photo of the
Week
Nevada
Forward Party organizers, along with Forward surrogate Sondra Cosgrove
and Founder of Nevada Women in Trades Evelyn Pacheco, attended a town
hall brunch last Saturday with Assemblyman Reuben D'Silva and
Assemblywoman Erica Mosca. Go Nevada!
Forwardists are out there making their mark. Got a story to
share? Let us know. Looking for a Forward event in your area?
Check out our upcoming events.
OTHER NEWS &
VIEWS
Gerrymandering broke
Tennessee
“Politics
watchers in Tennessee and around the nation say that what happened was
nothing new for the state’s GOP lawmakers, and that the process
Republicans have taken to minimize the representation of Democrats—on
both the federal and state levels—has actually been years in the
making. In recent years, Republicans have redrawn maps that
effectively curtail the number of districts that represent
Democrats—including some of the most diverse districts in the
state—and increase the number of solidly red ones. The end result has
been less representation for Democrats and for Black constituents in
the state House in Nashville and in the U.S. Congress.” —NBC News
More redistricting
news:
Open primaries coming to South
Dakota?
“A campaign has
completed the first step to creating open primaries in South Dakota.
The sponsors of the proposed 2024 open primaries ballot initiative
have submitted their petition to South Dakota Secretary of State Monae
Johnson for final review. The filing is the last step in the state’s
initiative approval process before the campaign can begin collecting
the 35,000 signatures needed to qualify for next year’s ballot. ‘By
adopting open primaries, we will ensure that all South Dakota voters,
regardless of party affiliation, can fully voice their opinions in
future elections,’ says De Knudson, treasurer of South Dakota Open
Primaries. The proposed 2024 ballot initiative would amend the state
constitution to establish open primary elections for governor,
Congress, the state legislature, and county elective offices.” —Dakota
News Now
More election reform
news:
States continue push for
‘election integrity’ laws
“More than two years after the 2020 presidential election,
Republicans in GOP-controlled legislatures are continuing to push to
tighten voting laws and the rules for election administration, despite
the lack of evidence for Donald Trump’s claim that widespread fraud
tainted his defeat.
GOP
officeholders in North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, and other states are
pushing for such measures as requiring proof of identification when
voting by mail, prohibiting the use of private funds by election
administrators, and beefing up investigations of alleged
election-related wrongdoing. Critics counter that most of the measures
are aimed at nonexistent threats to election security—and that by
promoting them, Republican officials are continuing to signal to the
public, without evidence, that election fraud is widespread. They also
say that such measures are likely to make it harder for some people to
cast ballots.” —The Washington Post
Independent voting bloc grows in
Florida
“The Sarasota County Democratic Party has
struggled to remain relevant in recent years, losing key races and
largely being locked out of power.
New voter
registration data further illustrates the party's problems. Combined,
no-party and minor-party voters now outnumber Democrats in the county.
As of April 12, the county had 156,647 Republican voters, 100,495
no-party and minor-party voters, and 100,488 Democrats, according to
the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections. Sarasota County is part
of statewide trend that has seen unaffiliated and minor-party voters
surpass Democratic voters in many GOP-leaning counties.” —The
Herald-Tribune
What Forwardists like you are
saying…
“Over the years
I was so happy to see all the laws passed federally to protect my life
as a member of the LGBTQ community. Each year, Florida was becoming
more extreme, and with the election of Gaetz, Rubio, and Scott, I have
no one protecting me. I have no say with regards to any bill brought
before either federal or state Congress.
The DNC
did not seem to think it would be financially productive to spend
funding in Florida for Democratic candidates. So at this time in my
life, I keep watching more and more of my rights being taken away. I
changed from a Democrat to an independent, until I found out I
couldn’t vote in primaries. That kind of defeats the idea of being an
independent voter.
Something
has to change. I heard about Adam Kinzinger’s movement Country First
built on the premise of country over party. I then heard about the
Forward Party. I know they are hard at work trying to stop
gerrymandering in every state and trying to overturn all the laws
Republicans are passing to suppress people’s voting rights. It’s
obvious the only way for these extreme Republicans to win is through
cheating. This has got to stop.
I hope my
change to the Forward Party will bring about change to include open
primaries and zero gerrymandering, and to stop voter suppression.”
—Forwardist reader Tamara in
Florida
Like
other Floridians, Tamara can now register as a member of the Forward
Party in the Sunshine State, where the state party has received
recognition.
Thanks
for reading! If you enjoyed this issue, please share it with a friend.
See you next week.
All the
best,
The Forward Party Team
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