Randy’s Rants
Randy’s Rants is a series of essays by legendary Cleveland author, activist and CCPC Member Randy Cunningham. We’ll be featuring a different one each week for as long as Randy is willing to write the articles.
CCPC Recommended
National
The alliance of authoritarianism and oligarchy shows its hand in DC The pattern is clear. In Los Angeles, Trump deployed the National Guard against the will of local officials. In D.C., he has seized control of the police. The next city could be Chicago. Each move makes it easier to accept military or federally controlled police as a normal response to political opposition. Meanwhile, there are no rules for the emerging oligarchs except blind allegiance to Trump
Sherrod Brown and Mamdani are very different – today’s Democrats need both There is much to admire about what Mamdani did in his New York City campaign, and he sure looks like the kind of new voice that Democrats need. But for people between the coasts, the Mamdani phenomenon may seem to be just the latest twist in the political taste of coastal cities. That’s why the national Democratic party needs Sherrod Brown’s more conservative voice in the midwest.
In the redistricting push, Democrats find an aggressive identity and progressives are on board Fight! Fight! Fight! It’s not just Trump’s mantra anymore. As he pushes Republican states to redraw their congressional districts to the GOP’s advantage. Democrats have finally shown they are willing to go beyond words of outrage and use whatever power they do have to win. The progressive and centrist wings of the party are united in this pursuit.
‘ The courts are helpless: ‘ Inside the Trump administration’s steady erosion of judicial power Six months into Trump’s second term, his administration is at war with the federal judiciary, evading court orders blocking its agenda, suing judges for alleged misconduct, and veering toward what multiple current and former federal judges say could be a constitutional crisis. In other words, what we always feared would happen.
consistently found that hand – counting ballots to be less accurate and more expensive than using machine tabulators. Trump, whose long spread baseless lies about the security of mail ballots and voting machines also falsely claimed that the United States is the only country in the world that uses mail – in ballots.
Repealing EPA’s endangerment finding will cause a public health nightmare As America faces increasing health threats from wildfire smoke, summer heat waves and rising cases of asthma and other respiratory threats, the last thing we need is to reverse laws that protect U.S. air quality. Yet, that’s precisely what Trump intends to do by proposing a repeal of the central scientific finding that is the basis of the Clean Air Act.
Robert Kennedy Has Gutted Our Best Defense Against Future Pandemics In 2020 and 2021 mRNA technology saved millions of lives by creating the first COVID vaccines. Without mRNA technology the vaccine could not have been created. However in the last few months Kennedy has canceled over a billion dollars in mRNA contracts with Moderna and the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority ( BARDA ) .What happens when the next pandemic comes?
Surprise! Trump finds yet another way to screw American consumers The new way is the announcement last week that the 50% tariffs on aluminum and steel to 400 more product categories, a move that will almost certainly raise prices for American consumers who are desperate for a reprieve. Basically, if it’s shiny, metallic, or remotely related to aluminum or steel, it’s on the list. Think of how endless the list of products with any aluminum or steel is.
Will rising food prices hurt Trump? Have you noticed that your groceries are more expensive? Food costs have risen 3% this year and will only continue to rise as Trump’s tariffs go into effect. But will anyone blame Trump or the Republicans? The ” it’s the economy, stupid ” theory suggests he will be blamed. But there is a competing theory that Trump’s base is a cult and normal political laws don’t apply to him.
Local
East Cleveland Jail Closes After Inspections Detail Various Violations Cells lacked seating, towels and clean bedding. Mattresses were ripped. Use – of – force reports were missing officers’ names or details of injuries. One officer told inspectors that he had never seen the jail’s medical policies. The jail failed to separate violent and nonviolent offenders. And the jail had security issues, including broken cameras and unsecured perimeter issues.
Cuyahoga County Deputies Called ‘ Cowboys ‘ for Pointing Assault Rifle Out of Window During High – Speed Chase Isan Vajuci, a Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputy, pointed a assault rifle out of a moving cruiser’s window while speeding more than 100 mph at times during a chase of a stolen car, bodycam footage shows. Sheriff Harold Preter of course would not answer specific questions about the chase or if it violated pursuit policy.
State
What are Ohio Democrats going to do about redistricting this fall? The Ohio Constitution requires that a new congressional map be passed by 60% of lawmakers by the end of the month or it goes to the redistricting commission. And the one the Republican fascist majority will pass will almost certainly feature extreme gerrymandering. The most interesting option open to Democrats is a referendum, which would almost certainly have big dollar national backing.
Ohio Gov. DeWine Sending Guard Troops to D.C. Makes Him Complicit in Trump’s Military Occupation As usual, when Trump says jump, Gov. No Spine DeWine says how high. Actually how low might be more accurate. No Spine is not stupid. He certainly knows that the bizarre, militarized occupation of D.C. is based on fallacies about rising Washington crime debunked by data that proves otherwise. By the way, Cleveland has about the same crime rate as D.C. does. Washington. So why isn’t the National Guard here?
Sherrod Brown’s strategic Senate play – Why the Democrat could beat Trump acolyte Jon Husted Envisions a very strong Democratic ticket with Brown and Dr. Amy Acton at the top that could fundamentally alter Ohio’s political trajectory. What makes the Senate race intriguing is that career politician Jun Husted cannot deploy the ” career politician ” attack that worked for Bernie Moreno against Brown last year.
Why Gaza Matters to America & Ohio Why should Ohio care? For one, because what we bankroll abroad writes our character at home. Because our Jewish and Palestinian neighbors are grieving in our schools, synagogues, mosques, and living rooms. Because America isn’t a bystander, we’re the largest military backer of Israel, at $3.8 billion a year. Here in Ohio, our state treasury holds over a quarter billion dollars in unrestricted Israeli Bonds.
Huge numbers of Ohioans to See Big Increases in Insurance Costs The subsidy known as the ” enhanced premium tax credit ” is set to expire in 2026. It was created during the pandemic to make insurance purchased on the marketplace created by The Affordable Care Act more affordable. Experts are warning that more than 500,000 Ohioans are poised to lose insurance subsidies starting next year.
Immigration
Companies aiding Trump’s immigration crackdown see ‘ extraordinary ‘ revenues The tech, surveillance and private prison providers arming Trump’s massive expansion and weaponization of immigration enforcement are running a victory lap after reporting their latest financial reports. Private prison company executives during their respective calls could barely contain their excitement.
The Largest Immigrant Detention Center in The U.S. Has Opened. What You Need To Know A detention center that is poised to become the largest of its kind in the country opened last week in El Paso amid concerns over safety, costs, and a lack of transparency. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) immediately began detaining people at the facility which is dubbed by the ICE goon supporter as the ” Lone Star Lockup.”
Black Lives Matter
The plot to destroy Black political power Get ready for the rage: The conservative majority on the Supreme Court looks likely to gut the last remaining parts of the Voting Rights Act. Promoted by a Black conservative, Justice Uncle Tom Thomas, the high court will consider in October a question that answers itself – whether it is wrong to stop openly racist tactics in drawing congressional districts. And sadly, we know where they will go with this.
DEI closures at colleges leave students with ‘ a different reality ‘ The student experience is changing at universities after multiple diversity, equity and inclusion ( DEI ) programs, offices and centers have been shut down. Students have returned to campus climates that are still racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist and otherwise discriminatory. But they are returning to places that no longer have the infrastructure to address these challenges.
CCPC September Meeting: Ongoing Struggles
CCPC September Meeting: Ongoing Struggles Thursday, September 25 from 6:30 to 8 pm. Struggling is the best way we can describe our country as it descends deeper into fascism. We’ll be focusing on the atrocities occurring in Washington DC, Columbus and all around the country with the horrible mass deportations. We hope to offer some reason for hope and we’d like to hear what you have to say too. Please click here to register for the event. After registering you’ll receive an email with the Zoom link.
Steve Holecko
CCPC Political Director
440 220 1874
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