Minnesota friends: Interested in taking a long walk for a good cause? Consider joining the 11th Annual Ultimate Hike in 2021. Hike 25.5 miles in 1 day. Raise money for CureSearch to end childhood cancer. Register for info session at tinyurl.com/gtmdshtin…

Our newest family member: An 8-week-old French Bulldog. Name has not yet been settled.

Republicans Will Get What They Deserve

At some point in the future — perhaps as soon as next January — the Democrats will control the presidency and both houses of Congress. When that time comes, it seems likely that the Democrats will use their power to remake government in a way that is structurally advantageous to the Democratic Party. Whether by ending the filibuster, granting statehood to Washington DC and Puerto Rico, or stacking the Supreme Court, the Democrats will do things that Republicans feel are unfair. Democrats will bend the rules, they will ignore historical norms, and they will demonstrate extreme partisanship in everything they do. The Democrats will use every tool at their disposal to destroy whatever structural advantages Republicans have given themselves over the past 12 years.

And Republicans will deserve every bit of it.

The filibuster was commonly used until the Democratic-led Senate invoked the “nuclear option” in 2013 to limit its use against judicial nominees, excluding the Supreme Court. The Republican-led Senate further weakened the filibuster in 2017 by disallowing it for Supreme Court nominations. The next logical step in this progression is to eliminate the filibuster altogether. A Democrat-controlled Senate is likely to take that step if necessary to prevent a Republican minority from holding up key Democratic priorities. The Democrats will claim that the filibuster is anti-democratic, which is true. Republicans will complain that abolishing the filibuster is politically motivated, which will also be true. In the end, Republicans will lose significant legislative ground through the Democratic party’s use of ethically-questionable tactics.

And Republicans will deserve every bit of ground they lose.

Both the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have held referendums where overwhelming majorities of residents — all of them US citizens — have expressed support for statehood. With control of both houses of Congress as well as the presidency, Democrats will have the power to admit both as new states. The two new states would be granted four new Senate seats, as well as House of Representative seats proportional to their populations. These seats would likely be controlled by Democrats, significantly decreasing the Republican party’s influence for years to come. The Democrats will claim that denying statehood to these citizens is unfair and a violation of their rights to congressional representation, which is true. Republicans will complain that admitting two new states is a political act that unfairly stacks the deck against future Republican legislative priorities, which may also be true. In the end, Republicans will lose legislative power for a generation or more.

And Republicans will deserve every bit of power they lose.

It is very likely that Republicans will ram through Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement on the Supreme Court before Democrats have a way to stop them. Republicans may think that a 6-3 conservative majority for years to come will provide them with opportunities to create sweeping new judicial precedents that align with conservative ideology. But Democrats can, and probably will, prevent this future by legislatively expanding the Supreme Court with any number of new seats on the bench, all of which would be filled with far-left ideologues. This move would be blatantly partisan, it would diminish the credibility of the court in the minds of the American people, and it could lead to future Republican countermoves that further de-legitimize the judicial branch of government. But Republicans will be blamed for the inevitable destruction of judicial legitimacy.

And Republicans will deserve every bit of the blame they receive.

Republicans deserve to lose legislative tools like the filibuster because they were unable to use this tool responsibly when they were the minority party in the Senate under President Obama. Instead of using the filibuster as an occasional check against far-left overreach, they used it routinely to prevent any Obama appointees from getting approved or even getting a vote.

Republicans deserve to lose legislative power because they were unwilling to live with the structural anti-democratic advantages that the Senate already gives them: They had to push for even greater advantage. They fought for policies that suppress voter turnout among under-represented communities, because they know that increased voter turnout hurts Republicans. They resisted every effort to address gerrymandering, because they know that it helps Republicans far more often than it helps Democrats. And worst of all, they systematically destroyed confidence in our elections by making blatantly false mail-in voter fraud claims during a pandemic, when we should be encouraging more people to vote by mail rather than fewer.

Republicans deserve the blame for de-legitimizing the courts because they conjured a new precedent out of thin air to deny Merrick Garland a vote when he was nominated by President Obama. The rage this created among Democrats and many independents was absolutely predictable and absolutely appropriate. Then Republicans fanned the flames of that rage by backtracking on their new precedent just four years later to push through a vote on President Trump’s nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Republicans have blatantly lied and cheated the system to steal a Supreme Court seat. They have sacrificed any claim to the moral high ground if and when the Democrats try to steal one or more seats in return.

Republicans will deserve everything the Democrats do to them as retribution for the past 12 years. When that happens, I fully expect Republicans to play the victim card, and to accuse the Democrats of foul play. Their complaints will fall on deaf ears, and they will only have themselves to blame.

They will only be getting what they deserve.

People who booed last night during a moment of silent unity, and the people nationwide who support those who were booing, need to look in the mirror at what they have become.

Your complaints have never been about respecting the flag. Your complaints have never been about the national anthem or supporting the troops. Your complaints have never been about anything worth defending.

Your complaints have been because you don’t like the fact that these young men are raising uncomfortable truths. You want to be entertained, and you don’t like it when your entertainers express their not-so-entertaining opinions.

You are of course entitled to your opinions. If you are so turned off by NFL players taking a stand. please turn off the TV and walk away. The league will be temporarily hurt by the loss of TV revenue, but that pain will pass as a newer, more socially-aware generation becomes fans.

Bravo, NFL teams and players for everything you are doing now to keep raising awareness. I will enthusiastically watch more games, spend more money on your products, and pass on my love of the game to my daughters so that the next generation of fans is bigger, and better, than the current one.

Black Lives Matter - If you can’t get behind that sentiment, then the NFL is better without you as a fan.

I completed my first Ultimate Hike event for CureSearch this weekend. It was such a fabulous experience, raising money for a good cause (pediatric cancer research). I strongly recommend joining a future event if you can.

T takes in the Cascade River trail, near Lake Superior in MN

Gooseberry Falls - Always a family favorite when we’re up on the North Shore

Heading up to the North Shore of Lake Superior tomorrow. It’s a magical place.

In 5 days I will be departing at 4:15 AM on a 25.5 mile hike along Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail. I hope my knees survive through the day.

Kellyanne Conway - coiner of the “alternative facts” white house defense - is leaving the administration. Hard to tell if that is a sign of continued implosion of this administration, or if it is something less consequential.

Sad to learn that the cute little chipmunk that had fallen into our clothes dryer vent got stranded there and died. We had dropped a rope down, hoping it would be able to climb out and escape, but our olfactory systems informed us this morning that it hadn’t.

This girl got her driving permit today: It was a little nerve-wracking being in the car with her, especially as she navigated her first roundabout. But she made it through without hitting anything, and I guess you’ve got to start somewhere.

Hiked 18 miles (29 km) yesterday, working my way up to 25.5 miles (41 km) at the CureSearch Ultimate Hike on the Superior Hiking Trail August 29.

Looking forward to the big day, but dang my feet and knees are not happy with all of this work.

Struggling a bit here on mb to find the kinds of posts/discussion I am really looking for in social media. Facebook and Twitter have their flaws, to be sure. But at least I know how to find discussions of relevant topics - mostly those topics categorized as “political”

Glad that Biden picked Kamala Harris. As much as I would love to see a more progressive choice, I do believe that this ticket provides the best chances of defeating Trump. And that is what really matters the most.

If Ilhan Omar loses the Democratic primary in Minnesota’s 5th tomorrow, be prepared for months or more of Trump gloating and taking credit for her loss. I like much of what Melton-Meaux (Omar’s opponent) has to say, but not sure I can handle the Trump revelry if Omar goes down.

My penultimate long-distance training hike in preparation for the “Ultimate Hike” weekend later this month. Next week is an 18 mile training hike, then a couple down weeks to recuperate before doing 25.5 miles on Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail.

If Trump wants to ban TikTok in the US unless it can be sold to an American company, does that it means it is OK for other governments to demand the same for US companies trying to do business abroad?

I have to say that I am getting a little tired of the critiques of Ilhan Omar here in Minnesota’s fifth district that focus on her “celebrity” as a bad thing that should be held against her.

I disagree with Omar on many things. And I agree that she has made some mistakes that she needs to learn from. She needs to improve at her job, as most of us do.

But let’s be clear on one thing: She is a celebrity for one and only reason. Donald Trump chose to make her a celebrity by singling her out with his blatant racism and his anti-Muslim bigotry. Were it not for Trump, Omar would still be one of the most liberal members of Congress, but she would not be a celebrity.

To my friends who are supporting Antone in the primary: I hear what you are saying, and I sympathize with the ideals of a more pragmatic representative who is less likely to make news on a regular basis. If you truly believe Antone will do a better job than Omar has done, then I completely respect your decision.

But please, please, please - STOP using Omar’s position as one of Trump’s most well-known punching bags as an excuse to go a different direction. Her celebrity status will end when we have a less bigoted president.

Omar can be fairly criticized for many things, but her celebrity status should not be one of them.

Voted by mail for the first time today. I don’t typically vote in primaries, but this year has been anything but typical.

🏈 If the NFL does have games this year then there is going to be a huge increase in demand for live streaming. I wonder if DirectTV will remain the exclusive provider or if they will make more options available due to COVID-19.

Back to Micro.blog after more than a year away. Hopefully I’m back to stay this time…