NEWS AND OPINION:
The Democratic Party is very focused on election reform these days, and it is a complex issue. One analyst believes this particular obsession is a convenient way to take public focus off President Biden’s dwindling public appeal — and also vilify Republicans in the process. So says Frank Miele, a columnist for RealClearPolitics.com.
“What Republicans have insisted on is that our elections should be run in ways that discourage fraud and political manipulation, namely that individual voters should take responsibility for their own votes and should do so in the manner prescribed by law. Democrats, on the other hand, want to make it as easy as possible to vote, whether that means turning Election Day into Election Month,” Mr. Miele wrote.
But there’s more to it than that.
“Democrats have done everything in their power to cheapen voting, to make it seem routine instead of sacred. Election Day used to mean something. It was a time when we gathered together in a ritual of democracy that brought us closer and reassured us that our neighbors were taking their responsibility just as seriously as we were. ‘Voter turnout’ meant that someone had actually turned out to vote — they had made a positive effort to cast their ballot, because they cared about our country and our future,” he wrote in an analysis released Monday.
“What makes a strong democracy is not just a large number of votes, but a large number of informed voters. As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘Wherever the people are well informed they can be trusted with their own government.’ Too bad Democrats seem to have forgotten that,” Mr. Miele concluded.
Find a collection of his many columns at HeartlandDiary.com.
What about voters themselves? At the moment, a third are paying no attention whatsoever to the 2022 midterm elections, according to a new Economist/YouGov — and a sizable number are only paying minimal attention. Find the numbers in the Poll du Jour at the column’s end.
MAJORITY AGREES: FAITH IS ‘UNDER ATTACK’
“One nation under God” is a core tenet of the U.S. — and the majority of Americans now believe that religion is “under attack,” says a disconcerting new poll released by Issues & Insights released on Monday.
“Both sides of the political debate agree that there’s a schism of sorts in America, a cultural battle that transcends ordinary politicking and goes to the heart of how we see ourselves and our fellow Americans. And one of the elements of that cultural battle is religion,” wrote Terry Jones, an editor with the news organization.
A new poll from the news organization asked this question: “Do you agree or disagree with the statement “religion is under attack in the U.S.?”
The poll found that 52% of the respondents agreed with the idea, 40% disagreed, and the rest were undecided.
“It will come as no surprise, perhaps, that those most convinced that religion is under attack in the U.S. are those who self-describe as conservative. Some 76% agreed with the statement,” Mr. Jones said.
Among liberals, 34% agreed with the idea — along with 43% of Democrats, 45% of independents and 75% of Republicans. In add-on, 63% of Christians, 47% of those belonging to another religion and even 29% of those who said they had “no religion” agreed with the idea.
The Issues & Answers/Tipp Poll of 1,308 U.S. adults was conducted Jan. 1-8.
A PARENT’S REVIEW OF YOUNGKIN
The reviews are in. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is winning some grassroots praise by keeping his campaign promises and issuing 11 executive actions on the first day he held office.
Among them were orders that put parents in charge of whether to mask their children in the classroom and that curbed the addition of critical race theory in public school curriculums.
“I think it’s incredible. I think this is just an example to the rest of the country that parents’ voices make a difference in their children’s lives, and Glenn Youngkin is delivering on promises that he gave throughout his campaign and on day one, he kept them,” Rachel Pisani, a Loudoun County mother of three, told Fox News on Monday, offering some of her own pointers for the education of children in the commonwealth.
“We should teach them history. We should teach them math. We should teach them all of the education that a public school should give our children — without indoctrinating them with socialist theories,” Ms. Pisani advised.
A RECORD-BREAKING GOP WAR CHEST
“We defend your conservative values by protecting and expanding our Republican conference in the House of Representatives,” the National Republican Congressional Committee — that’s NRCC for short — advises in its mission statement.
That message must have resonated with the public.
“The NRCC today announced raising $140 million in 2021, obliterating the committee’s previous off-year record,” the organization said in a message shared with Inside the Beltway.
This is a 65% increase from 2019.
“Voters are ready to put an end to Democrat policies that have led to skyrocketing crime, rising prices, and open borders. This record-breaking haul would not have been possible without House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, Whip Steve Scalise, Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, our Republican conference, the Republican National Committee, and the hundreds of thousands of generous donors who are ready to fire Nancy Pelosi once and for all,” advised Tom Emmer, NRCC chairman, in a statement.
POLL DU JOUR
• 23% of U.S. adults have been paying “a lot of attention” to the 2022 congressional elections; 26% of Republicans, 20% of independents and 27% of Democrats agree.
• 29% of men and 17% of women also agree.
• 44% overall have been paying “a little” attention to the elections; 46% of Republicans, 47% of independents and 47% of Democrats agree.
• 44% of men and 44% of women also agree.
• 33% overall have not been paying any attention at all to the elections; 28% of Republicans, 33% of independents and 26% of Democrats agree.
• 27% of men and 38% of women also agree.
SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 8-11.
• Helpful information to [email protected].
Source:Washington Times
