ВИБОРЧА ГАЗЕТА

McConnell, Utah Leaders Honor ‘Larger Than Life’ Orrin Hatch

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell paid tribute to the late Sen. Orrin Hatch on Friday, celebrating the Utah icon as a principled conservative, committed public servant and man of faith.

Two weeks after Hatch died at age 88 from complications stemming from a stroke, McConnell joined Hatch’s family, friends, former colleagues and leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to memorialize the seven-term U.S. senator at a ceremony held at a chapel at the Institute of Religion in Salt Lake City.

“Each piece of legislation Orrin crafted was like a handwritten note. Every bill was an Orrin Hatch ‘Thank you’ to our nation from a caring patriot who wanted to give back,” McConnell said.

McConnell and others honored Hatch’s legislative achievements, which included participating in the confirmation hearings of dozens of federal judges and helping then-President Donald Trump enact a $1.5 trillion tax cut. They also recognized his hardscrabble origins growing up in Depression-era Pennsylvania, his frugality and his sense of humor.

“He was a bridge-builder, a collaborator, a sports enthusiast, a songwriter, a man of God, and a cherished friend,” Scott Anderson, the chair of Hatch’s foundation, said.

Brent Hatch, the senator’s son, quoted a veteran Utah journalist who called Hatch “the most important Utah politician since Brigham Young.”

Young led Latter-day Saint pioneers to Utah and served as its first territory-era governor.

Hatch’s children remembered their father for his sense of humor, passion for storytelling and love of reasonably priced food, including beef hot dogs from Costco and the buffet at the Utah restaurant chain Chuck-A-Rama.

“He really was larger than life,” his daughter, Marcia Hatch Whetton, said. “Dad had an amazing sense of humor and an infectious laugh.”

First elected in 1976, Hatch ended his seven-term tenure in the U.S. Senate in 2019 as the chamber’s longest serving Republican senator in history. He spent 32 of his 42 years in office as the top ranking Republican on key committees and helped reshape the federal judiciary — including the U.S. Supreme Court — and pass compromise legislation including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Children’s Health Insurance Program.

A stalwart conservative, Hatch championed low taxes and opposed abortion. Early in his career, he frequently took part in compromises with Democrats, notably with his friend, the late Massachusetts Sen. Ed Kennedy, and supported Democratic presidential choices for the Supreme Court, including when then-President Bill Clinton nominated the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1993.

Gordon Smith, a former two-term Republican senator from Oregon, called Hatch a mentor and noted his knack for both making noise and ultimately cutting through it to pass legislation.

“To be sure, Orrin made his share of noise. But Orrin had the humility and the wisdom to be a student of the Senate too. That led him to listen and to learn,” Smith said. “… He mastered the art of finding the common sense center that is necessary to making law, not just noise, in the United States Senate.”

Friday’s memorial service also highlighted the distinctive extracurricular pursuits Hatch became known for in Washington, D.C., and Utah. An accomplished songwriter, Hatch authored more than 300 tracks, including Jesus’ Love is Like a River, and No Empty Chairs, which his grandchildren sang at the service. He also managed a folk-rock band called The Free Agency that had been a psychedelic rock group in San Francisco before the members converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Growing up as a boxer, he maintained a lifelong passion for sports, developed friendships with Utah Jazz basketball star Karl Malone and boxer Muhammad Ali, whose funeral he spoke at in 2016.  
…

US Judge Dismisses Trump’s Lawsuit Challenging His Twitter Ban

A U.S. judge on Friday dismissed former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Twitter Inc. that challenged his suspension from the platform.

In a written ruling, U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco rejected Trump’s argument that Twitter violated his right to freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Twitter and other social media platforms banned Trump from their services after a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in a deadly riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

That assault followed a speech by Trump in which he reiterated false claims that his election loss in November was because of widespread fraud, an assertion rejected by multiple courts and state election officials.

Trump’s lawyers alleged in a court filing last year that Twitter “exercises a degree of power and control over political discourse in this country that is immeasurable, historically unprecedented, and profoundly dangerous to open democratic debate.”

At the time of removing Trump’s account permanently, Twitter said his tweets had violated the platform’s policy barring “glorification of violence.” The company said then that Trump’s tweets that led to his removal were “highly likely” to encourage people to replicate what happened in the Capitol riots.

Before he was blocked, Trump had more than 88 million followers on Twitter and used it as his social media megaphone.
…

White House Announces New Press Secretary

Karine Jean-Pierre will be the new White House Press Secretary starting May 13, the White House announced Thursday. 

Jean-Pierre, who is currently deputy press secretary, will replace Jen Psaki who has served as press secretary since President Joe Biden became president. 

“Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people. Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this Administration,” the White House said in a press release. 

“Jen Psaki has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room,” the press release continued. “I want to say thank you to Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while doing so.” 

In a tweet, Psaki thanked Biden for the opportunity. 

“Lots to say about how grateful I am to @POTUS and @FLOTUS and the Biden family for trusting me to serve as @PressSec and plenty of time before my last day to share, but today is about @KJP46 so a few thoughts on this remarkable woman who will soon be behind the podium every day.” 

 
…

US Voters Predict Republicans Will Make Gains in Midterm

With rising inflation, an ongoing pandemic, a Russian war in Ukraine and now a looming Supreme Court ruling on abortion, the stakes are high as Americans prepare to go to the polls in November for midterm elections.

“I have so many friends who are struggling right now,” said Brandon Legnion, a nurse in New Orleans, Louisiana. “Friends who can barely afford the gas they need to get themselves to job sites. I think a lot of them are going to be eager to vote and express displeasure at the way the country is being run.”

The midterms not only mark the halfway point between the 2020 and 2024 U.S. presidential elections but will set the political direction of the United States, by determining whether Democrats or Republicans will control state houses, as well as whether President Biden will have an agreeable Congress to help enact his agenda.

Historically, the midterm elections have not fared well for the political party of the sitting president, especially when — like Democratic President Joe Biden — that president is in their first term in office.

“The question isn’t whether or not the Democrats will lose seats during the midterms,” University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock told VOA. “The question is how many seats they are going to lose.”

The trend of midterms damaging the sitting president’s party is so well known in America that some Democratic voters seem resigned to what is projected to be a difficult election cycle.

“I unfortunately think our country will swing dramatically to the right,” said Julie Bierschenk, a Democratic voter in Chicago, Illinois. “Things have felt so unstable here with the pandemic, and the economy and everything related to racial justice, so I think Republicans will probably win. It’s a predictable never-ending cycle, like a pendulum that swings between the far/moderate left, to the far right.”

The president’s party

Polling data similarly portends disaster for Democrats. A late-April NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey found that 47% of respondents said they were more likely to vote for the Republican in their district while 44% said they were more likely to vote Democrat.

According to Marist, this is the first time in eight years their survey detected a Republican advantage.

Some Republicans say this advantage is due to what they say is the Democratic Party’s failure to lead the country despite controlling the White House and having slim majorities in Congress.

“Under President Biden, Americans face skyrocketing inflation, insane gas prices, high taxes, and a southern border completely out of control,” said Representative Michelle Steel, a California Republican who is up for re-election in November.

Steel told VOA she expects big wins for her party in this year’s midterms.

“It’s not just Republicans,” she said. “Voters of all backgrounds will be voting Republican this year.”

To her point, the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that independent voters — an important swing group — favored Republicans over Democrats 45% to 38%.

Another area of concern among Democrats is President Biden’s struggling approval ratings, which currently stand at just 41% — similar to former President Donald Trump at this point in his presidency, and below all other recent presidents.

“A president’s approval rating is definitely one factor in how his party fares in elections,” political scientist Bullock explained. “Biden hasn’t been perceived as a very good leader and if his approval rating drops below 40% it’s hard to imagine how Democrats will be able to hold their majorities in Congress.”

In addition to President Biden’s effect on the midterms, some Republican voters like Jill Dani of Florida believe former President Trump’s absence from the ballot will help her preferred party’s chances.

“Biden won in 2020 because Democrats and even some Republicans hated Trump,” she told VOA. “Now they don’t have Trump, so the blame for the economy and our handling of Russia is rightfully being directed at the current president. Immigration is still a mess and inflation is miserable. I think Democrats are in for a big surprise in November and they’re not going to be happy about it.”

The issues

“A lot of voters don’t seem to realize that the Democrats’ majority is so slim, Republicans have been able to block much of their agenda with the filibuster,” Bullock said. “Instead, many voters just seem to see Democrats and Biden as ineffective.”

Bullock says some of that perception, however, is self-inflicted.

“Rather than talking about the things they have accomplished, like a large COVID-19 recovery bill and an infrastructure spending package, Democrats and their voters bemoan the stalled Build Back Better Act and the voting rights act that never materialized,” he said. “Combine that with the inflation pain Americans feel every time they go to the supermarket or gas station, and it really puts a target on Democrats’ backs.”

Most Americans say inflation is their top concern. In April, the U.S. Labor Department reported an 8.5% jump in consumer prices, marking the steepest such climb since 1981.

Legnion, an independent voter, said it is hard not to feel this has something to do with the president and his party’s priorities.

“I’ve never experienced inflation like this before,” he said, “and it feels like maybe we should be focusing on fixing this country instead of the government sending money all over the world to help others.”

Six months away

In the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, only 39% of respondents approve of how President Biden is handling the economy. Only 44% approve of how he is dealing with the situation in Ukraine, down 52% from March.

One major issue in which Democrats still have an advantage, however, is in handling the coronavirus. Survey respondents were more likely to trust them over Republicans on this issue by 12 percentage points.

“As a health care worker, I can tell you that Democrats at least portray themselves as more compassionate toward frontline workers, and more concerned about keeping the crisis under control,” Legnion said.

Still, this trust doesn’t appear to be translating to potential votes as the midterm elections near.

“In a lot of peoples’ minds, the pandemic is over,” said Corrine Glazer, a Democratic voter from Los Angeles, California. “If we’re saying things like, ‘Now that we’re out of the pandemic,’ and ‘post-pandemic,’ then of course coronavirus isn’t going to be a priority in this election.”

But, with six months to go until the midterms take place, experts like Bullock warn a great deal can change.

“If a new variant shows up, for example, and brings coronavirus back front and center,” he said, “or if inflation calms down or things change in how Biden’s perceived to be leading in regards to Ukraine, that can affect how the midterm elections play out.”

Bullock said there are other potential positives Democrats can hold onto.

Polling data, he said, seems to be slightly improving for Democrats, for example. And Republicans have more vulnerable Senate seats up for election that they will need to defend.

“And, because Democrats didn’t do as well in the congressional part of the 2020 election, they don’t have as many seats to lose as the president’s party normally would in the midterms,” Bullock said. “While it’s almost certain Democrats will lose seats, it might not be as bad as some predict.”

Other issues may still arise to change the trajectory of the race. The recently leaked Supreme Court abortion decision, for example, may galvanize voters.  

Already, Democratic politicians are framing the midterm elections as a chance for voters to protect their rights. This message is resonating with some Americans like Glazer.

“These elections represent our best chance to protect marginalized groups,” she said. “A Supreme Court with Trump-nominated justices is doing damage that will last for years, like overturning a woman’s right to choose. We need to make sure everyone gets out to vote and that everyone’s vote is counted so we can protect Democratic majorities in Congress.”
…

US Lawmakers Brace for Fight Over Abortion Rights

…