campaigns should be pushing early voting, not paper ballots

Assumption: This blog entry is written with the assumption: if a campaign puts in the time & money to have a chance of winning an election, the top priority should be winning the election (while complying with constraints like following the law & respecting the ethics of the candidate/campaign leadership).

If the goal of a campaign is to get the most votes, the campaign should push its supporters to vote early.

On November 4, 2014 I was reminding people to vote in a working class neighborhood in Chicago's Ward 45. There were plenty of people who didn't vote, most of them, women. It was a caretaker who couldn't leave her husband. It was a student whose father seemed like a Rauner supporter. It was a mother with work obligations.

Losing elections sucks. And progressives lose elections because regular people don't vote. Early voting reduces the problem of regular people skipping elections.

In Chicago, there are two ways to vote early: in person and by mail.

Voting by mail is on paper. Voting early in person is on a machine.

There is a small group of activists--who hold themselves out as experts--who are adamantly opposed to voting on machines.

proposed statement by Chief Justice John Roberts on US Senate obstruction

This message is both a general message for all Americans and a specific message for the 100 Americans who are currently US Senators.

My name is John Roberts.  Since I was confirmed by the US Senate on September 29, 2005, I have been privileged and honored to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

During my confirmation hearing I committed to decide cases like a baseball umpire calls balls and strikes. And I would be more comfortable conducting my duties quietly from the Supreme Court.

Congress should define "well regulated militia" narrowly

You've heard of the takeover of the federal wildlife refuge in Oregon. These armed White guys fancy themselves a "militia" as described by the Second Amendment. Corporate media has accepted Right Wing extremists describing themselves as "militias".

When Blackstone Rangers and Black Panther Party were armed and politically active, they weren't characterized as "militias".

What is a "well regulated militia"?

Reducing sexual assault at Illinois colleges & universities

I would like Illinois to lead on reducing sexual assaults of Illinois college & university students.

I see some parallels to the issue of reducing fraudulent enlistments in military recruiting. These are difficult things to measure. But measurement is essential to determining if policies--like education--are effective at reducing the crimes.

I request an Illinois legislator sponsor a bill directing the Illinois Attorney General to design a system for measuring sexual assault of students at Illinois colleges & universities above a minimum size. It may be appropriate to have one minimum size for schools without dorms & campus housing and another for residential campuses.

US DOJ should investigate the cover-up of the murder of Laquan McDonald

Now that City of Chicago has been forced to release the video of Laquan McDonald's killing, the Cook County States Attorney has decided to charge the police officer who killed McDonald (Jason Van Dyke) with murder.

• McDonald was killed on October 20, 2014
• Judge Franklin Valderrama orders video released November 19, 2015
• Van Dyke charged with murder November 23, 2015 

This timeline plus two other facts show intent to protect Van Dykeand deny McDonald justice.

Illinois Constitution should have soft term limits

Last night newly appointed Sen. Laura Murphy spoke to Northside DFA making the case for NDFA to endorse her and provide volunteers for her general election campaign in 2016.

Along the way Murphy spoke in favor of term limits for legislative leaders. If I'm not mistaken this idea came out of the Illinois Reform Commission 100-Day Report (April 28, 2009).

I don't understand how this approach can't be undermined by passing the title of legislative leader but the more powerful senator or representative remaining as the power behind the throne by controlling the key political committees.

But this blog entry isn't to discuss the shortcomings of that proposal, but to suggest something more promising, what I call "soft term limits".

In addition to standing for re-election against the candidates qualified for the general election ballot, a candidate would stand for election on whether this will be the elected official's last term. If over half the voters say make it her/his last term then s/he doesn't stand for re-election again.

State legislatures could pressure Congress to allow gun violence research

State legislatures can (and should!) take the lead on restoring public money being used to research gun violence.

Pro-firearms industry members of Congress have used both the law and intimidation to limit & restrict federal money from being used for research into gun violence (if the results of the research could be used to justify gun control).