Tag: 2020 elections

The GOP’s electoral fortunes are dim — and cracks of dissension are emerging from the party’s ranks

AlterNet logoRepublicans who aren’t completely delusional can read the polls as well as I can. They know that if the election were held today, Biden would win and the Senate GOP majority would be threatened. That is leading to signs of dissension among the ranks of some Republicans.

As an example, Majority Leader McConnell had previously resisted any attempt to help states cope with a serious reduction in revenue as a result of the coronavirus crisis. He even went so far as to suggest that individual states should consider the possibility of filing for bankruptcy.

But there is a contingent among Republican senators that is parting ways with their leadership. Continue reading.

U.S. Cybercom contemplates information warfare to counter Russian interference in 2020 election

Washington Post logoMilitary cyber officials are developing information warfare tactics that could be deployed against senior Russian officials and oligarchs if Moscow tries to interfere in the 2020 U.S. elections through hacking election systems or sowing widespread discord, according to current and former U.S. officials.

One option being explored by U.S. Cyber Command would target senior leadership and Russian elites, though probably not President Vladimir Putin, which would be considered too provocative, said the current and former officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity. The idea would be to show that the target’s sensitive personal data could be hit if the interference did not stop, though officials declined to be more specific.

“When the Russians put implants into an electric grid, it means they’re making a credible showing that they have the ability to hurt you if things escalate,” said Bobby Chesney, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “What may be contemplated here is an individualized version of that, not unlike individually targeted economic sanctions. It’s sending credible signals to key decision-makers that they are vulnerable if they take certain adversarial actions.” Continue reading

Back-to-back losses in key governors’ races send additional warning to Trump and GOP ahead of 2020

Washington Post logoWhen Kentucky’s Republican governor lost his bid for reelection two weeks ago despite President Trump’s active endorsement, the president and his allies brushed it off by declaring that Trump had nearly dragged an unpopular incumbent across the finish line.

On Sunday, a day after another Trump-backed GOP gubernatorial candidate fell in Louisiana, the president and his surrogates barely mounted a defense.

In a barrage of 40 tweets and retweets by Sunday evening, Trump didn’t mention Eddie Rispone’s loss to Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), even though the president had held two campaign rallies in the state in the 10 days before the election aimed at boosting his chances.

View the complete November 18 article by David Nakamura on The Washington Post website here.

The 2020 fight to control the Minnesota Senate will focus on just a few seats. And it’s already started.

After winning close races in difficult districts in 2016, two Minnesota state senators didn’t have long to celebrate. Almost immediately, they rose to the top of an unenviable list: opposing parties’ most prominent targets in the 2020 election.

DFL Sen. Matt Little of Lakeville is the No. 1 target for Republicans hoping to hang on to their narrow majority in the state Senate next year. And GOP Sen. Paul Anderson of Plymouth has the same distinction for DFLers hoping to retake the chamber. As a result, both freshmen spent their first terms knowing everything done by them — and to them — could be a factor in the 2020 campaign.

But there is a significant difference between their situations.

View the complete October 9 article by Peter Callaghan on the MinnPost website here.

McConnell eyes Trump, Paul and reelection when it comes to emergency fight

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) needs the support of President Trump and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to win reelection next year, meaning he must rely on two men at opposite sides of the debate over the use of an emergency declaration to build a wall on the southern border. 

The cautious GOP leader, who routinely suffers from poor approval ratings in his home state, never takes political outcomes for granted and always tries to minimize uncertainty.

That means he can’t afford public fights with Trump or Paul, who are both more popular with the GOP base.

View the complete March 5 article by Alexander Bolton on The Hill website here.