GA GOP Officials May Face Charges For Fake Electors

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

The Georgians who joined a false slate of GOP electors to aid Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election could face criminal charges, legal experts say, as federal officials launch a new inquiry into efforts to undermine the vote and local prosecutors ramp up their investigation.

The alternative slate, which met behind closed doors in a second-floor state Capitol conference room while Democrats formally cast their ballots in the state Senate chambers, were not a fringe group.

Among the members are state Republican Party Chairman David Shafer [photo] and state Sen. Burt Jones, now a leading candidate for lieutenant governor. Several well-known activists and party officials also were involved.

Read the full article.

 

No Promo Homo: Arizona GOP Fake Elector Intros Bill To Ban Homosexuality From Lessons About Sexual Health

Phoenix’s Fox News affiliate reports:

A bill proposed to the Arizona State Legislature seeks to ban ‘sexually explicit materials’ from school classrooms, but LGBTQ advocates believe the bill is taking it a step further by targeting their community.

“There is nothing more sacred than the innocence of a child,” said Rep. Jake Hoffman, the bill’s sponsor. The bill would ban the depiction of some things that are taught in health classes. Meanwhile, the bill’s definition of ‘sexual conduct’ has drawn controversy, as it defines acts of homosexuality as sexual conduct.

Democratic State Rep. Daniel Hernandez said the bill would revert Arizona to a time period under a law known as ‘no promo homo,’ where schools were prohibited from promoting a ‘homosexual lifestyle.’

The Tucson Sun reports:

“No one advocates teaching pornography,” Hernandez said. “What this bill does is once again try and erase the LGBTQ community from Arizona public schools under the guise of protecting children,” he said. “Children keep getting used as footballs for politics.”

He said Hoffman could accomplish his goal by simply prohibiting depictions of sexual conduct without making a specific reference to homosexuality. Hoffman, however, refused to remove the reference to homosexuality.

“I’m here, once again, having to stand up and say, ‘This is something that is wrong.’ Homosexuality is not inherently wrong.” Hernandez said.

Hoffman has been in the national news this week as he is one of Arizona’s fake electors. In 2020 he was banned by Twitter for running a paid teenage pro-Trump troll farm with Charlie Kirk.

I was told recently that no one cares about gays and lesbians, that we are now accepted by society.   I have three more stories in my news feed about attempts to make the LGBTQ+ go away by banning books, ban teaching about gay people in history, or forbid mentioning gay role models.   The fact is the Republicans / right wing loves culture wars as they enrage their base, upset people, and distracts from the real crimes being done by Republicans.  Republicans have no polices to help people, so they need to distract people.   The religious right is not going to stop trying to create a theocracy of their version of Christianity and they won’t stop trying to make everyone else live by their church doctrines.   It is hard to accept that in 2022 I am still dealing with this bigotry and hate that I faced all my life.   

Daily cartoon / meme roundup: Why are the leaders of the country all in their 70’s and 80’s? They act like the country is still what it was when they were in their prime 40 years ago and can not relate to the reality of the country as it is now

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scottie’s world now

peeing my pants

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

image

Give more resources, defund the police.

Fight poverty, lower crime

Working It Out Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Clay Jones Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

image

Paging Joe Biden.

justice blocking by McConnell

Matt Wuerker Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

John Deering Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Jack Ohman Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Mike Luckovich Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Non Sequitur Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

image

Crimes AND cover-ups. The guilt is everywhere.

image
image

White supremacy has engulfed the GOP.

https://twitter.com/duffyink/status/1486244020904996865?s=20

image

Learning and exposure make you more Democratic. Conversely, no one who banned books was ever the good guy.

image

Some parents don’t see the actual stress they allow/put on their kids.

They would rather try to score political points with book bans and vaccine disinformation.

image

The lens of racism is the lens of America. Banning black experiences is 100% racist.

Thumbnail

image

leave me alone I don't know you

Jeff Stahler Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

image

Equating masks with the holocaust shows you how white people [who have never suffered] have no similar experience. They steal and try to pass themselves off as victims. It’s disgusting.

Cornered Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

image

Accurate. #WhiteNationalism

Imagine telling your grandfather that the communists we fought in the Cold War for fifty years are now your best friends because they are equally corrupt and equally hateful of non-white citizens.

we got real troubles maga

Joel Pett Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

escape steel jaws traps

putin a stupid son of a whatwaiting for the light

Andy Marlette for Jan 26, 2022

Lisa Benson Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

ViewsEurope Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Steve Kelley Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

The RW needs it to whip up anger and fear in their base and to distract from the other problems they have right now.  

The actual instances are so near zero that they have to go to other countries to get sufficient exemplars to push their narrative.

And THEIR OWN EXAMPLES make their “solutions” a mockery.

The BIGGIE is “gender assigned at birth”.

First sentence, second paragraph:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caster_Semenya

Semenya is an intersex woman, assigned female at birth, with XY chromosomes and naturally elevated testosterone levels.

* * * * *

Result of all this folly? :

https://www.wsj.com/articles/caster-semenya-tokyo-olympics-11625159284#:~:text=South%20Africa’s%20Caster%20Semenya%20can,400%20meters%20and%201500%20meters.

South Africa’s Caster Semenya can run 800 meters faster than any woman on the planet. But the two-time Olympic gold medalist won’t defend her title in Tokyo because her testosterone levels exceed a 2018 limit imposed by track’s governing body on female athletes competing in distances between 400 meters and 1500 meters.  

It is an article of faith among the radical right that young men are lining up to get their testicles removed and taking hormone shots for the sole reason of competing with women athletes.

Of all the insane things I’ve ever heard, that’s pretty much a topper.

Four Myths About Trans Athletes, Debunked

According to an study, the rate of gender dysphoria is about one-half of one percent, tops:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33644314/

I was just reading the right wing media about the swimmer Thomas who competed as a male and then transitioned and after waiting for her testosterone to be at the accepted levels again joined the university team.   The right likes to mention how she is beating the times of other women.  Oh the horror.   Except they fail to mention she has been beaten by  women also.  

Three things:
There isn’t a sport I am aware of that utilizes the Penis.Using Kelly’s transphobic logic, if strength and endurance is a determining factor, athletes like the Williams sisters would have been required to play as men.If people (like Kelly) who attempt to argue against Transgender accept that man came from a handful of dust and woman from a rib, they have no valid opinion on Transgender. 

I find it very disturbing that for decades conservatives have ignored and underfunded women’s sports…even mocked them openly. And now all of the sudden they claim the role of protector from a threat that they made up solely for the purpose of uniting hateful ignorant people under their banner and get their votes.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Misleading right wing media cartoons / memes

This cartoonist is not normally in the misleading right wing group.   How ever in this case he is.  Biden has stated that there will be no active fighting troops from the US in the Ukraine.   I think that is because the Ukrainian military will do the Afghanistan model of warfare.   Hit and run, hard to spot enemy that wears the attacking army out trying to conquer the territory.   It wouldn’t make sense for the US to add unformed troops to that situation.   There will more likely be special forces trainers and CIA agents.  Along with mercenaries of course.  The US will need to use a lot of non-traditional methods to fight the Russians if they invade Ukraine.   In this case we are not forcing our will on the Ukrainians, we are standing beside them as best we can to protect their democracy. 

Same as above except this cartoonist is a proud member of the misleading right wing media.

And again same as above notes.

  Michael Ramirez Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Bull. Breyer is retiring on his own recognizance, though he has already said that one of the considerations was to give Biden time to replace him before midterm elections.   Breyer has been talking about retirement for a while. He merely chose the best time so that Moscow-Mitch would have a hard time tanking the nomination of his replacement like he did with Obama’s nomination of Garland.  here was no problem when Kennedy resigned to give McConnell the same opportunity. I know Trump claimed he was the one to appoint the new one, but all he did was sign where McConnell told him to.

The CDC has the expertise to evaluate the medical data and make the needed public health guidance. Something their critics lack with abundance.

Gary Varvel for Jan 27, 2022

There is a huge difference between muttering something under your breath that is picked up by a hot mic and have staff members shout insults at those they did not think properly honor their cult leader like the staff of the former guy. One is excusable and understandable, the other should be grounds for HR involvement and evaluating if the person should have that job. You do not hear the regular staff harassment and mistreatment in Biden’s administration that we did in tRump’s. 

Doocy tries to frame questions that can be used on Fox news as a sound bite, normally with out the answer given to the question because that shows how stupid the question was. So Doocy asked a really dumb question and the president noted that out loud. He did not go on a personal attack to Doocy like the former guy did, Biden did not call Doocy the enemy of the people like the former guy kept calling the press. Seems to me a lot of hype over nothing. But then again the right has very little to attack Biden over so they cling to anything they can.

A.F. Branco for Jan 27, 2022

The US southern border is secure despite the misleading right wing media trying to hype that the border is wide open and there are hoard of marauding brown people storming over it. There is no storming force coming over the southern border but there is an armed military threatening to cross the border between Ukraine and Russia. The Russian army is poised to invade and wipe out the new democracy in that country. The US was once known for defending democracy, are we still? I do not understand why so many on the right want to defend Putin and Russia when the St. Ronnie the Reagan called evil and Republicans had the slogan “Better dead than red”. Besides the cartoon is misleading because Biden has ruled out combat troops fighting in Ukraine.

Rob Rogers Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

This is cute, but sanctions beat tanks over the medium and long term. IF they can be deployed in sufficient number and on time.   Keep in mind New York City has a larger economy than all of Russia. 

The diplomats have warned Putin that the added pending sanctions will be heavier and the oligarchs including Putin will feel it. Putin either believes it’s a U.S./NATO bluff or he wants an escalation so the tail can wag the dog and distract the common Russian. 

Some believe that P’s strategy will backfire if the Ukrainian resistance can send enough body bags back. The Ukrainians have already lost territory and thousands of lives so they may decide to go “all medieval (Afghanistan) on their ass”.

We will not send in troops but surreptitiously probably “advisors”. The profiting war machine will love the commitment to increased armaments.

Stuart Carlson Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

The propaganda Putin / Russia is pushing.   That they have overwhelming force and the will to use it.   Truth is their economy is not able to handle a war over 6 weeks.   They need to roll in and have it over quickly so they can take money out of Ukraine.   It will be much worse if Biden is able to force really tough sanctions on the Russian oligarchs themselves.  

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And now some for fun

Off the Mark Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Free Range Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Reality Check Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Herman Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Joe Heller Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Dog Eat Doug Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

The Buckets Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Daddy's Home Comic Strip for January 27, 2022

Let’s talk about Maus, Tennessee, and failing a test….

Sen. Ron Johnson says it’s not ‘society’s responsibility’ to care for ‘other people’s children’ while arguing against child care subsidies for working parents

https://news.yahoo.com/sen-ron-johnson-says-not-061211125.html

·3 min read
 
 
  • Sen. Ron Johnson said it’s not “society’s responsibility” to “take care of other people’s children.”

  • Instead, Johnson backed slashing unemployment benefits to alleviate the ongoing labor shortage.

  • He previously said he was “not a real fan” of the child tax credit.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson argued against government efforts to make child care cheaper for parents during a visit on Tuesday to Kwik Trip’s headquarters in La Crosse.

“People decide to have families and become parents. That’s something they need to consider when they make that choice,” Johnson told local Wisconsin TV station WKBT. “I’ve never really felt it was society’s responsibility to take care of other people’s children.”

Speaking to WKBT, Johnson said that he did not support moves by the government to help families find child care options. Instead, Johnson told the news station that he would support slashing unemployment benefits to get more people back to work and alleviate the ongoing labor shortage.

He told WKBT that he would back more efforts to help people get jobs that would allow them to support their own families. 

Johnson has historically not been a supporter of childcare-related legislation. 

Ron Johnson
 
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told a local news channel this week that he “never really felt it was society’s responsibility to take care of other people’s children.”Samuel Corum/Getty Images

In May 2021, Johnson remarked on WKOW-TV that he supported slashing Wisconsin’s $300 per week federal unemployment subsidy. During the interview, Johnson pushed back on a suggestion from WKOW-TV host A. J. Bayatpour that many women cannot re-enter the workforce because their wages do not cover the cost of childcare.

“Unemployment benefits are not meant to provide replacement wages. That was provided during COVID when it was nobody’s fault that they were losing their job or they were being encouraged to stay home so they wouldn’t spread the disease,” Johnson said. 

“Wages are set in the marketplace. Businesses pay what wages they can afford based on the competitive situation, whether it’s in a restaurant, whether it’s in manufacturing, where they’re competing against foreign manufacturers versus domestic suppliers,” Johnson added. “I just have greater faith in the marketplace setting appropriate wage rates.”

Johnson also admitted he was “not a real fan” of the child tax credit which offers parents up to $3,600 per child. 

“In general, I don’t like to use the tax code for either economic or social engineering. I think we do a terrible job. I prefer a tax code that was simple, that was rational, that treated all income equally,” Johnson said in response to a question about the child tax credit.

President Joe Biden conceded in January that he was “not sure” that he would be able to keep monthly checks to parents going due to resistance from Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to the Build Back Better plan.

Build Back Better is now stalled while Democratic lawmakers try to negotiate with Manchin, one of the lone holdouts against the plan, whose support is essential for them to get the bill over the finish line in the 50-50 Senate. 

Remember in the Republican universe the people decide to have children doesn’t include abortion, sexual education, masturbation to reduce need to marry for sex, female control over their own sexual / reproductive parts because she is subservient to her husband or other adult male in charge of her.   

On the wage front remember that Johnson is a millionaire who is / was the CEO of the plastics company that was started by his wife’s brother with money from their father.   Think of that.  They were wealthy enough to start a company because dad gave them the money.  But this wealthy man wants to cut all assistance and government help to force people to do shit jobs at a shit wage so he and his friends make more profit.  To hell with the people’s needs, they can suffer and starve to be made to work so wealthy people make more money, more profit.  

 

Liberal Redneck – Trashin’ Mitch McConnell

Liberal Redneck – Biden “Attacks the Press”

Daily cartoon / meme roundup: You are pro life until … Hey it is called body autonomy. She has a right to all things about her body as he does!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scottie’s world today

twice as much nothing tomorrowwhere are you going

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

image

None of these abortion laws are written by people who become pregnant. They have no medical background. They have no family planning background.

They have have one goal: force women into submission.

Employers prefer to have everyone on a gig economy.   They want workers to work any hours they provide gratefully so the workers have to have multiple jobs and no social lives.   Scottie

Joel Pett Comic Strip for January 25, 2022

Andy Marlette for Jan 25, 2022

Steve Benson Comic Strip for January 25, 2022

Lalo Alcaraz Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Drew Sheneman Comic Strip for January 25, 2022

Nick Anderson Comic Strip for January 24, 2022

Jack Ohman Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

https://twitter.com/duffyink/status/1486244020904996865?s=20

trump jan 6th

Robert Ariail Comic Strip for January 25, 2022

Clay Jones Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Rob Rogers Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Nick Anderson Comic Strip for January 24, 2022

Moderately Confused Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Family Tree Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Wizard of Id Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Candorville Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

ViewsEurope Comic Strip for January 25, 2022

ViewsBusiness Comic Strip for January 25, 2022

Joe Heller Comic Strip for January 25, 2022

Putin loves him a war

ViewsAsia Comic Strip for January 25, 2022

don't want to debate rights

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Misleading right wing media cartoons / memes

So far Biden is doing as well as possible on Ukraine.   The problem is right wing media hosts like Tucker Carlson are openly pushing for the US to let Putin do what ever he wants.   Just let Russia take Ukraine, who cares, why should we, just let it be they say.   Really it stuns me the better dead than red party is now openly Russian supporters.   I guess tRump was a great asset for Putin.   Well here is why we need to defend Ukraine, it is a democracy, a real one, trying to hold off an authoritarian strongman near dictatorship government run by Putin for his own enrichment.   Maybe that is why the Republicans love him.  Scottie

Afghanistan was not Biden’s fault, the military did the best they could with what tRump negotiated.   Inflation is world wide from a pandemic and the world being shut down.  Immigration is fine, we need more not less so no problem.  Covid is not Biden’s fault, tRump was president when it hit, Biden got vaccines out to the people, he got the economy going in record time.   The US is the only nation to have bounced back so far with a positive growth GDP.   The only ones you can lay at Biden’s feet is Voting rights and Build Back Better.   Scottie

Lisa Benson Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Are there actually any cities doing this, or is it just another Republican terror meme because there is space that needs to be filled?  

What white right wingers miss, and I think it might be so ingrained that they simply CANNOT see it, is that in some places the cops are more dangerous to regular (black) people than any other gang, Thus making “defund the police” a perfectly apt catch-phrase… IN THOSE PLACES.

The other thing they miss, and I’m a little less sure it’s not on purpose, is that we are asking cops, who are trained at confrontation, to do all kinds of things that they’re not trained for, and in fact may be trained against. In cities where there are social/medical teams who are available to the community WHO ARE NOT COPS, the outcomes are BOTH less expensive AND better than they are in “copy primary” locations.

Police budgets have actually been going up nationwide, even as crime rates have also been going up, and there are numerous bi-partisan bills further increasing police budgets and tactics. So WTF is Lisa doing? Oh yeah. Injecting partisan politics into it, and blaming “progressives”, as usual.

Ukraine is a democracy and there was a time when the US proudly stood up to help and protect democracies. That was back when Republicans also felt it was better to be dead than Russian red. I do not want US military to die uselessly in battle that is not for the safety of the US, but also I do not want the US to ignore a Russian take over of other sovereign countries. If the US wants to be a world leader we need to act like we are one and do the hard work. However for those demanding that the US make the first moves that would be the US attacking a country that has not done an illegal action yet. Can not punish a country that has not done the action they need to be punished for. If Putin orders military action on Ukraine then it will be time for the US to respond.

This is what passes for an editorial cartoon from right wing media cartoonist Mike Shelton.   Need I even comment?

A misleading right wing attempt to convince people that the Democrats want to let votes be counted long after the election if it would help them.   Not true at all.  Several states say if the ballot is marked posted by the Postal Service on or before the election day then that ballot will count if received at the elections office after election day.   That is common practice, especially with military ballots from over seas.    Scottie

Al Goodwyn Editorial Cartoons Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Republicans don’t fear injections; they fear the loss of power to ANY majority, as they will never have more than minorities ever again.   For the last few decades Republican Party has been basing its appeal and power on The Four Horsemen: Ignorance, Fear, Anger, and Hatred. Just look. The one thing you won’t find is a positive vision for America.

Tim Campbell Comic Strip for January 25, 2022

Lots of jobs, lots of growth, companies making record profits. All the stuff Qubs brag about when they’re in office. 

GOP congressmen standing in front of their voters and taking credit for the infrastructure plan that’s now starting even if they voted against it. So typical. Let the Dems do the work and wait and see how the public reacts. If the reaction is positive then stand up and take credit. Suddenly it’s we instead of them.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And now some for fun

Frazz Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Free Range Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Breaking Cat News Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Herman Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Pickles Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Shoe Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

B.C. Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

The Born Loser Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Lola Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Broom Hilda Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Close to Home Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Dogs of C-Kennel Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

The Middletons Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Monty Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

One Big Happy Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Doonesbury Comic Strip for January 26, 2022

Arizona Republicans Continue Voter Suppression and Election Subversion Efforts / Arizona Bill Allows Legislature To Reject Election Results

https://www.democracydocket.com/alerts/arizona-republicans-continue-voter-suppression-and-election-subversion-efforts/

 Since the 2022 Arizona legislative session began on Jan. 10, Republican lawmakers have introduced a slew of restrictive voting bills, including an omnibus bill that subverts nonpartisan election administration. House Bill 2596, introduced last Friday, would eliminate early voting, no-excuse mail-in voting (which the state has had since 1991) and emergency voting centers. H.B. 2596 would also ban the use of electronic voting machines and require all ballots to be counted by hand. The bill adds a new section to Arizona’s elections code titled “Legislative session; review; legislative election audit.” Critically, this new provision gives the partisan state Legislature the ultimate authority to “accept or reject the election results” and allow any elector to request a new election be held.

There are several other pieces of legislation already introduced by Republicans. For example, one bill would prohibit drop boxes and another would prohibit voting centers, locations in a given jurisdiction where voters can cast a ballot regardless of their residential address. Even though Arizona does not have same-day registration, a third bill would proactively forbid the practice and make violations by state agencies or administrators a felony.

The House Government and Elections Committee is set to consider several election-related bills tomorrow. In the opposite chamber, state Senate Republicans have already introduced several election bills of their own, notably a near-ban on drop boxes and drive-thru voting. Republicans hold a narrow majority in both chambers of the Arizona state Legislature and the governorship.

Read H.B. 2596 here.

Arizona Bill Allows Legislature To Reject Election Results

Democracy Docket reports:

Since the 2022 Arizona legislative session began on Jan. 10, Republican lawmakers have introduced a slew of restrictive voting bills, including an omnibus bill that subverts nonpartisan election administration. House Bill 2596, introduced last Friday, would eliminate early voting, no-excuse mail-in voting (which the state has had since 1991) and emergency voting centers.

H.B. 2596 would also ban the use of electronic voting machines and require all ballots to be counted by hand. The bill adds a new section to Arizona’s elections code titled “Legislative session; review; legislative election audit.” Critically, this new provision gives the partisan state Legislature the ultimate authority to “accept or reject the election results” and allow any elector to request a new election be held.

Photo: Sponsor Rep. John Fillmore, who last appeared on JMG when he compared trans people to farm animals.

GOP map ties ‘woke’ Kansas enclave to Trump-loving areas

https://apnews.com/article/legislature-election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-donald-trump-85844d07388c25e71440059be29b7a6e

This image shows the "Ad Astra 2" congressional redistricting plan for Kansas drafted by the Kansas Legislative Research Department for Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The blue represents the new 1st Congressional District, and it takes in the city of Lawrence at its far eastern edge. (Kansas Legislative Research Department via AP)

This image shows the “Ad Astra 2” congressional redistricting plan for Kansas drafted by the Kansas Legislative Research Department for Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The blue represents the new 1st Congressional District, and it takes in the city of Lawrence at its far eastern edge. (Kansas Legislative Research Department via AP)

https://apnews.com/article/legislature-election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-donald-trump-85844d07388c25e71440059be29b7a6e/gallery/fe25a7a744d44b239e2aa2f3254549e7

The Republicans who control the Kansas Legislature are close to passing a congressional redistricting plan that marries an eastern Kansas community proud of its “woke” politics to Trump-loving small towns and farms five hours west by car on the expansive and stark plains.

Democratic legislators and some local officials see the worst kind of gerrymandering in the GOP’s intentions for Lawrence, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Kansas City. The northeast Kansas city of almost 95,000 residents is home to the main University of Kansas campus.

A city that has a penchant for irritating conservatives with liberal politics — it’s trying to move to entirely renewable energy, for example — would be moved into the sprawling 1st Congressional District of western and central Kansas where former President Donald Trump received almost 70% of the vote in 2020.

The Kansas House debated the bill Tuesday for four hours and set a final vote for Wednesday. The Senate approved the plan last week. Democrats don’t have the political strength to prevent its passage and might not be able to sustain a possible veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Both parties expect the lines to be settled in court.

Kansas’ new 1st District would not look like its GOP-drawn 1st District cousin in North Carolina, held together over the north-south length of that state by islands off its Atlantic coast, or the snaky Chicago-area districts that favor Democrats in Illinois. But it raises eyebrows even among some Republicans who planned to vote for it by having a finger of land extend far into eastern Kansas and end with Lawrence at a small tip.

“It’s a travesty,” said Democratic state Rep. Boog Highberger, of Lawrence, an attorney. “It really disenfranchises my district, my city.”

As for the political divides between Lawrence and western Kansas, Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican and an architect of the GOP plan, said that divide exists now for Lawrence in the 2nd District of eastern Kansas. The 2nd has swaths of conservative rural territory in southeast Kansas. In fact, even some local residents acknowledge that such a divide exists between Lawrence and the less populated areas immediately around it.

“It’s a change in a number,” Masterson said Tuesday. “They were in District No. 2 and they were the most woke place, and they were with other counties in the 2nd that you could argue were the least-woke places. Now it’s District No. 1 with the most woke and the least woke.”

Though red Kansas has a few blue strongholds, Lawrence has a reputation as an especially liberal town.

In 2018, complaints from the then-Republican governor and others prompted the university to take down an altered American flag that was part of an art display. The following year, conservatives were irked by plans for a course called “Angry White Male Studies.” And many residents wanted local officials to resist federal immigration enforcement efforts during the Trump administration.

Democratic legislators and local officials complained about how the GOP map splits the city of Lawrence from the rest of Douglas County and even splits voting precincts. They also argued that Lawrence is oriented toward the Kansas City area, with people commuting there for jobs and fun.

“The map is clearly political gerrymandering in a way that only hurts voters,” said Shannon Portillo, a Douglas County commissioner who represents both part of the city and rural areas.

The change for Lawrence stems from other changes top Republicans proposed that would make it harder for the lone Kansas Democrat in Congress, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, to win reelection in her Kansas City-area 3rd District, which has swung back and forth between the two parties for nearly 25 years.

Davids’ current district is overpopulated by nearly 58,000 residents, so Republicans’ map moves part of the Kansas City area — where Davids is the strongest — into the neighboring 2nd District of eastern Kansas. To keep that district close to the ideal population and maintain a safe GOP seat, Democratic voters in Lawrence were moved out of the 2nd.

Republicans contend that the change for Lawrence is just about numbers and complying with mandates established by federal courts that congressional districts be made as equal in population as possible after a decade of population shifts. They argue that the GOP plan achieves that: Each of the four districts hits the target of 734,470 residents, exactly.

“For you over here,” Rep. Steve Huebert, a Wichita-area Republican, told Democrats during the House debate, “who says, ‘Well, that’s not fair,’ that’s the way it works.”

Republican lawmakers argued that the University of Kansas gives Lawrence a common interest with other 1st District communities with universities, most notably Kansas State University in Manhattan, also in northeast Kansas.

When Democrats touted how Lawrence honors diversity, Republicans countered that southwest Kansas has three counties in which non-Hispanic white residents are a minority, largely because of meatpacking plants.

But Highberger and other Lawrence-area lawmakers believe the city’s votes for Democratic candidates and progressive candidates will be swallowed by western Kansas conservatives, causing it to be ignored.

Though initially surprised, western Kansas lawmakers seemed to be taking the change in stride — and supporting the map.

“Rural counties are used to being put places, and you just have to make do with it,” said former Kansas Agriculture Secretary Josh Svaty, a former House member who sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018.

Republicans hate democracy!   Democracy is when the voters pick the politicians they want.  Republicans prefer to pick the voters they want instead.   Scottie