Part 1: Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report.
Topics discussed:
Current Democratic candidate field. There has been some winnowing. With some dropping out, but also others joining. Both Arnie and Scott agreed that perhaps Biden and Bernie should have stayed out as candidates, but should have confined their roles to ‘elder statesman’ and act as advisors. Of the remaining candidates, no one truly breaking out, except for Mayor Pete. The issues that have been most important to Democrats are health care, climate change, equal rights. Immigration reform, though important, should not be a main issue, because this is a big part of the Republican platform. “Don’t meet your opponent on their choice of battlefield,” advice from “The Art of War”, should be followed. The billionaires (Steyer, Bloomberg) don’t seem to be adding to the conversation in a substantive way.
Impeachment was also a topic. Nancy Pelosi has asked the Committee to develop the Articles of Impeachment quickly, a surprise. Scott discussed plenary power, which is the sole power that the committee has to set the rules by which it would operate. Discussion also touched on Presidential pardons. Presidential pardons are not possible for persons who are convicted of crime against the United States. And, it also involves acknowledging guilt. Another occasion where presidential pardon is not able to be used is if the pardon would affect the outcome of an impeachment proceeding. For those who contend that impeachment is overturning the outcome of an election, it was acknowledged that this is indeed the case, because the electorate has decided that this is a corrective action necessary due to the president’s actions. The 2018 elections were a vote for Democrats, knowing this would make impeachment possible and likely. Republicans have appeared to have anointed Trump as king, and above the law. Democrats want the law to be king. In addition, they are very concerned about the concept of having foreigners interfere in US elections.
A short discussion of a Texas Republican House member who has retired, after claiming that he was being challenged in his primary by others only because they were Asian, and thus racist. Backlash in his district was too much for him to overcome. Also, in Texas, Beto O’Rourke has been campaigning for Democratic candidates for state offices. He is also being recruited for the Senate seat election, though he has not indicated that he will run.
Part 2: Maria Gallucci, Grist.org.
The topic covered several articles that Maria had written about the use of solar panels. The most interesting one was an experimental use of floating solar panels, which are currently being used in New Jersey. This was a concept developed in 2007 in Japan, for areas that do not have enough land available for big solar arrays. A raft of solar panels has many advantages, including reduction of algae growth, reduction of evaporation, providing shade for fish, etc. Ponds or lakes that are dead, such as the Berkely Pit in Montana, a result of copper mining, could be used. The higher cost of building such systems can be compensated for by producing more energy from the solar array, and selling it.
The second topic, very important is the idea of providing opportunities for poorer communities by creating community based solar generation projects. This would help create energy equity, and allow poorer communities to have access without the upfront costs, and by lowering costs of energy. It is possible to renters to participate in this way. Some churches and other community organizations have already begun such “Groundswell” projects.
