Politics

NY Times Editorial -  There is a straightforward and elegant solution: ranked-choice voting, also known as instant-runoff voting. Already in use all over the world and in cities and towns across the United States, it’s a popular and proven way of electing leaders who are — what a radical notion! — actually supported by most voters. It is effective in any multicandidate race, but it’s ideal for making sense of a large and fractured pool of candidates.

Fair Vote - In 2020, 3 million Dems cast a vote for a presidential candidate who'd dropped out but was still on the ballot. In 2016, 700k Reps did the same. #RankedChoiceVoting ends "zombie votes”—if your 1st choice drops out, your vote counts for your next choice.

Ronald Reagan’s daughter says he would be ‘appalled’ by current political tenor

Daily Beast - For over a year now, Congress has struggled to pass new aid for Ukraine, the war-torn nation dismantling the military of one of the United States’ most hostile enemies. Israel, long considered one of the U.S.’s most important allies, hasn’t received congressionally approved aid in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack either. And Taiwan, staring down surging Chinese aggression, is also waiting on help from Congress.   Not lending a hand to these countries would have once been unthinkable to Reagan’s party. But the growing sect of “America First” Republicans are actively standing in the way. And as that faction stalls aid and U.S. allies suffer, Democrats and the dwindling camp of more hawkish Republicans are watching in disbelief. “It’s not my father’s Republican Party,” said Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL)—the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. “My father’s Republican Party was pro-trade, pro-military, and pro-business.” “You knew where they stood on this,” he continued. “Not the least of which was the foundation, the Reagan Doctrine—that we will forever stand with our allies against Soviet aggression.”