Columbia Rejects Fascism. Elects a leftist President Gustavo Petro

There is a lesson in this election for the U.S. You can elect a former leftist extremist while beating an extremist right-winger. And the loser of the election accepts the defeat. Did I mention Petro’s running mate is a black woman? The election was fair and peaceful. No talk of civil war or ‘stop the steal.”

Colombia has elected a former guerrilla fighter Gustavo Petro as president, making him the South American country’s first leftist head of state.
…Petro’s election marks a tidal shift for Colombia, a country that has never before had a leftist president, and follows similar victories for the left in Peru, Chile and Honduras.
…During his victory speech, Petro issued a call for unity and extended an olive branch to some of his harshest critics, saying all members of the opposition will be welcomed at the presidential palace “to discuss the problems of Colombia”.
“From this government that is beginning there will never be political persecution or legal persecution, there will only be respect and dialogue,” he said, adding that he will listen to not only those who have raised arms but also to “that silent majority of peasants, Indigenous people, women, youth”.
The outgoing conservative president, Iván Duque, congratulated Petro shortly after results were announced, and Hernández quickly conceded defeat.

Breaking News: For the first time, Colombia will have a leftist president. Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and a longtime senator who has pledged to transform the country’s economic system, has won Sunday’s election, according to preliminary results. https://t.co/ZpbMmUCIyl
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 19, 2022

Nine of the 10 most expensive Senate races of all time happened in 2020

Money rules politics. And it gets worse every election cycle. This is why we have such terrible government. Voter’s desires mean little in a system such as this:

The 2020 Senate races brought home trophy after trophy in the arena of campaign finance. When considering combined candidate and outside spending, this year’s elections gave rise to nine of the 10 most expensive Senate races ever.

Combined, these nine races cost close to $2.1 billion, contributing to the estimated record $14 billion spent during the 2020 election cycle. The Carolinas take the cake as the two most expensive Senate races ever. North Carolina came in at No. 1 with a total cost of $298.9 million. The 2020 South Carolina Senate race totaled $276.9 million.

Source: OpenSecrets.org

Retired Admiral and General: No one should place allegiance to a political party before their devotion to our nation

That’s exactly what Trump and his GOP minions have done. They’ve put political self-interest above their loyalty to the constitution. That makes them traitors:

We have devoted our lives to advancing America’s ideals abroad, often in the face of regimes that oppressed their own people — from the Soviet Union to North Korea to Afghanistan and Iraq. We have watched nations in Asia, Africa and Europe look to the United States as a model when holding their own democratic elections and ensuring peaceful transitions of power.

If we refuse to accept the results of this election, it will deliver a lasting victory for the enemies of democracy — and a terrible blow to all those who view America as a beacon of liberty and self-determination.

As retired members of the military, we’ve cast votes from all over the world and know it works, so stop questioning the legitimacy of this election.

Republicans Are Planning to Spend $20 Million So Americans Won’t Vote

Republicans are perpetrating every dirty trick in the book to stop, in particular, people of color from voting. And will get away with it. Just as in 2016:

The Republican Party is building a program to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers in over a dozen states to conduct anti-”voter fraud” efforts, which means monitoring polls and challenging votes and voter registrations, according to the New York Times.
The party, backed by President Donald Trump, is spending $20 million on its efforts, which intends to recruit up to 50,000 volunteers in 15 states to “monitor polling places and challenge ballots and voters deemed suspicious,” the Times reports. The money is also intended to fight Democratic-backed lawsuits against alleged voter suppression efforts on the part of Republicans.

This headline from the Atlantic makes it perfectly clear that the voter suppression campaign comes straight from the White House: