Randy’s Rants
Randy’s Rants is a series of essays by legendary Cleveland author, activist and CCPC Member Randy Cunningham. We’ll be featuring a different one each week for as long as Randy is willing to write the articles
CCPC Recommended
National
Why Trump tariffs will be ‘ very bad ‘ for America and the world Most economists believe that the tariffs will increase inflation, slow economic growth, hurt US workers and result in American consumers footing the bill for the tariffs. Tensions and fears of retaliation and the coming trade wars will cause many businesses to reduce their planned investments.Most economists believe economies worldwide will be negatively affected. But facts and expertise don’t matter in the lunatic MAGA world.
Will the Courts Enforce the Constitution against Trump If they don’t the checks and balances that have defined our government since its inception will give way to one man authoritarian rule. As a first term president and more recently as a presidential candidate, Donald Trump showed little understanding of the Constitution and even less interest in complying with it. Ending birthright citizenship, which is clearly unconstitutional, will be a major first test.
White House abruptly backs off Trump’s federal funding freeze after lawsuits and outrage Lawsuits and outrage seem to be the norm with many executive orders. Lawsuits because many are blatantly unconstitutional and outrage because many are truly outrageous. But freezing all federal grants and loans was maybe the most WTF executive order. Blatantly unconstitutional because only Congress appropriates funds and stupid because even red state governors were outraged. Thankfully they backed off.
Almost 6 in 10 opposed Trump pardons for Jan. 6 rioters A new Reuters / Ipsos poll found that 58 percent of Americans were not in favor of the president pardoning all of the people who were convicted of crimes related to the January 6 attacks on the Capitol just over four years ago. Trump attempted to justify the pardons by comparing them to Biden’s pardon’s. Really? Biden did not pardon people who attempted an insurrection and committed violent crimes against police officers.
Ken Martin wins election as the next chair of the Democratic National Committee Ken Martin, the longtime leader of the state Democratic Party organization in Minnesota, will be the new Democratic National Committee chair after winning Saturday’s election, as the party looks to turn the page and recover from a dismal 2024 election cycle. Sadly the race hinged more on the candidates’ organizing and fundraising resumes than it did on ideologies.
Now is the Time for Progressives to Take Over the Democratic Party This moment of crisis may be an opportunity to get the party back on track. Activists both inside and outside of the party have two big questions to answer: Do insiders pivot to the left or the center? Do outsiders join the party or abandon it? In both cases, the choice should be obvious: embrace the progressive economic agenda and the outsiders enter in big numbers.The election of Ken Martin to DNC Chair is not a good start.
Americans voted for a dumpster fire – Democrats just need to let it burn itself out Of all the analysis about messaging and focusing on working class voters, perhaps this advice is the best for Democrats. Sit back and watch the dysfunctional Republicans be dysfunctional and hope the voters will see it too. And it makes sense. The usual cycle in American politics is the party not in the White House wins big in the midterms. Why do anything that might disrupt that cycle?
Here’s how Trump and his congressional puppets aim to make the rich even richer Donald Trump issued a call to arms last week, urging Republican congressional leaders to pass a legislative package that would extend his 2017 tax cuts that favor the ultra – wealthy and large corporations. The GOP reportedly plans to pass the bill by using the congressional reconciliation process, which would by – pass the needed 60 vote majority in the Senate.
What migration to red states could mean for the Democratic Party This is not good news. As the populations of states like California, New York and California decline, these once solidly blue states could face an existential crisis as they are no longer the reliable powerhouses they once were. Meanwhile, conservative southern states like Texas and Florida are gaining new residents. If this pattern continues through the next census, the states that voted for Kamala Harris will see a net drop of 12 house seats.
Local
‘ Nobody’s Trying to Help Him ‘: Deaths in Cuyahoga County Jail Intensify Scrutiny At least 24 people have died in the jail’s custody over the last six years, according to federal and state records and news reports. Even before that, in 2018, a U.S. Marshals Service Investigation found myriad failures in health care, food services, safety, sanitation and scrutiny. The county has faced lawsuits over poor conditions, civil rights violations and inadequate medical conditions for years.
Brian Pearson, the new President of the North Shore AFL – CIO Federation of Labor, wants the labor organization to play a greater role in local and civic affairs. But he may be forced to first deal with issues from Washington. About 6,500 of the 85,000 members of the federation are federal employees who may be facing layoffs as Trump shrinks the number of federal employees
What is Universal Basic Employment? And how could it make Cleveland a better place to live? Universal Basic Employment ( UBE ) is not the same as Universal Basic Income. The UBE program that will launch in Cleveland next year guarantees a basic salary of $50,000 for whatever job a person works. The working theory is that it would eliminate low – wage jobs, and the crime that often comes from those unwilling to take them, and that the investment will pump more money into the economy
State
Ohio’s New U.S. Senator Jon Husted Has a History of Connections to Energy and Charter Scandals Publicly released court records suggest that Husted, in close contact with FirstEnergy executives, was leading the behind the scenes efforts to push the scandal laden HB 6 through the legislature and onto the governor’s desk. He was also deeply tied to ECOT, the charter school which ripped off millions of taxpayer dollars with phantom students. He will be a perfect fit for the Republicans in the Senate.
Ohio expands gun rights with new laws on self defense immunity and firearms tracking Two recently passed Ohio laws take preemptive action to help gun owners, from expanding legal immunity for using concealed handguns at houses of worship to prohibiting public sector and private sector tracking of firearms. House Bill 452 and Senate Bill 58, sIgned by Governor No Spine DeWine last week, made this happen. The descent into the wild wild west in Ohio continues.
Republicans have owned Ohio. Could Dr. Amy Acton be the Democrat to stop the streak? Her main advantage is that 2026 is a midterm election with the Republicans controlling the White House. Richard Cordray lost to Mike DeWine by less than four points in a similar midterm scenario in 2018. Another advantage she has is that she has never held elected office, and therefore no voting record to scrutinize. And finally she has celebrity status because of her work during the COVID crisis in 2020.
Immigration
Cleveland police will not enforce federal immigration law, mayor says The good news is that Mayor Justin Bibb is doing the right thing and may be risking federal funds to do so because that is how the vindictive president works. The bad news is that Cleveland may now become a target for deportations as Chicago became one after their mayor announced the same thing. It is important to remember that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government, not local law enforcement.
Democrats are splintered on immigration and how to respond to Trump When Donald Trump took office in 2017 with promises to crack down on immigration, he was met with widespread protests that filled churches, airports and union halls as Democratic lawmakers vowed to fight the new Republican president at every turn. The second time around, Democrats helped send an immigration bill to his desk during his first week in office. More on that below.
The Laken Riley Act is a sweetheart deal for the private prison industry The Laken Riley Act makes immigration detention mandatory for people merely accused of minor theft offenses such as shoplifting, regardless of how minor the act is considered in the jurisdiction that it occurred, however long ago it occurred and even without any evidence that they actually did occur. An adopted amendment to the bill adds additional grounds for mandatory detention based on accusations alone.
Senator Bernie Moreno introduces legislation to overhaul U.S. asylum system The legislation is of course an attempt by the newcomer Republican to show that he is as tough as possible on immigration. The legislation would require asylum seekers to remain incarcerated while they are awaiting their asylum hearings. Currently there are about a million asylum – seekers in the United States waiting for their hearings. And in case you forgot, Moreno’s parents are immigrants from Colombia.
Black Lives Matter
Trump fires Democratic commissioners at civil rights enforcement agency As the purge of diversity, equity and inclusion ( DEI ) continues. The people fired were members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ( EEOC ). The EEOC’s goal is to protect workers from discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability and other protected identity statuses. The good news is the people being fired are going to court because they were appointed to a five year term which has not expired. We wish them good luck
CCPC February Membership Meeting
CCPC February Membership Meeting: Issue Updates Wednesday, February 19 from 6:30 to 8 pm. Agenda items include: 1) Trump – One month in 2) The continuing lead issue in Cleveland. Spencer Wells from CLASH will be joining us for this update 3) Other local issues. Please click here to register for the event. After registering you’ll receive an email with the Zoom link
Steve Holecko
CCPC Political Director
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