Tag: #Progressives Abroad Mexico

Dozing Giant: Mexico’s U.S. citizens

Former U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill famously said “All politics are local.”

In Mexico, many socially conscious U.S.-born residents translate political conviction into social activism by volunteering at – or donating to – non-profits that advocate for positive change, including many focused on meeting critical needs of marginalized communities. (These organizations are often featured on COBALT’s Facebook/Instagram pages.)

But there is no substitute for a ballot.

And far too many Mexican residents who are eligible to vote sit out U.S. elections because “they have nothing to do with my life in Mexico”.

But that’s a viewpoint which turns a blind eye to the significant local impact that American politics have on daily life south on the Mexican side of the border.

U.S. government policy has significant implications for daily life south of the border on issues ranging from banning assault weapons to human rights to environmental sustainability to income inequality. (An estimated 5,000,000 firearms have been trafficked to Mexico since the expiration of the Assault Weapons Ban. Over 200,000 Mexico residents receive U.S. Social Security benefits).

It also has implications for U.S. policy on trade Mexico trade, energy, and immigration.

But can votes cast FROM Mexico…

…really make a difference FOR Mexico?

There are no fewer than 800,000 – and likely well above 1,000,000 – Mexico residents eligible to vote in U.S elections.

The Federal Voter Assistance Program estimates that only 10% of eligible U.S. voters living abroad vote

Democracy’s greatest enemy is apathy.

In 2022, Democrats lost 9 House races by less than 10,000 votes… 5 by less than 3,000 votes… and one (CA17) by only 564 votes.

If you were born in the U.S….

…were born to a U.S. citizen…

or were naturalized in the U.S….

it is your right to vote from Mexico:

1. Register online (start here)…

2. Receive your ballot via email…

3. Print, complete, and return mail your ballot.

Do it not just for the future of the U.S.… but also for Mexico’s future.

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The Anti-Partisans

It would be easy to conclude that American voters are now immovably committed to either Blue or Red, with margins of victory presumed to often hang on the sliver of the electorate that identifies with neither party.

But recent surveys conducted by Pew Research tell a very different story:

One-third of voters now identify as neither Democrat or Republican.

But this is not new news. Party identification has remained virtually constant for almost 3 decades, and there have always been voters who take great pride in not identifying with – much less ‘joining’ – either party. 

What has changed over the same period is the share of Americans who not only decline any party identification, but who hold highly negative views of the choice afforded by only two parties.

Not surprisingly, such opinions were more widely embraced during the 2012 and 2020 presidential elections, but are at an all-time high in the run-up to the 2022 mid-terms.

More surprising, however, is the remarkable consistency with which Americans of every political stripe – by a margin of 5:1 – agree on the gravity of political divisiveness promoted by the news media, and playing out among ordinary Americans, between politicians, and in social media.

Voters are exhausted by shrill and uninterrupted partisan chest-pounding and trash-talking… of hyperbolic boasting and bashing… of political discourse devolved into snarky memes.

As the election approaches, mass school shootings and abortion bans have handed Democrats have a windfall opportunity not only to energize party regulars, but to sway Republican-leaning Independents who are terrified or outraged enough by both to break with long-standing habit.

If, that is, individual Democrats can make the distinction between demonizing the opposition party/leadership without in the process demonizing those who may not be drinking all of the MAGA Kool-Aid.

And that, in a nutshell, is what COBALT is all about: A Progressive public agenda, presented as issues and facts without the partisan toxicity.

     

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      Abortion refugees

      It is estimated that more than 100,000 women in need of an abortion will be unable to get one as states rush to pass restrictive laws in the post-Roe/Wade America. The primary reason is that the cost of travelling to a state in which abortion is legal is prohibitive for many low-income and minority households, locking them into a continuing cycle of poverty. For those who can afford to make the trip, workarounds are quickly springing up to meet the need.

      Mexico.  At the Profem Tijuana clinic, within walking distance of the international border,  the the share of patients from the U.S. rose from 25% to 50% between May and July, 2022.          

      Gulf Coast. Abort Offshore is a floating clinic that performs legal abortions up to 20 weeks of pregnancy in federal waters.  It draws patients from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.  The shore-to-shore trip – including procedure – takes about 5 hours.

      Illinois.  Hope Clinic is expanding services at its Granite City, IL., location, just across the Mississippi from St. Louis, MO.

      Maryland.  Partners in Abortion Care is opening a clinic in College Park, MD.  Located within 40 miles of three major airports and interstate highways, it is convenient for patients from West Virginia and Ohio.  Beginning in July, nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants were empowered to perform abortions in Maryland.

      Minnesota.  An abortion clinic in Duluth, MN. Has long provided services to patients from adjacent states, but expects more traffic in the wake of a recent court ruling which expanded abortion access. The ruling ended a mandatory 24-hour waiting period, two-parent consent for minors and a requirement that physicians discuss medical risks and alternatives to abortion.  It also tossed out requirements that only doctors could provide abortion care, and that abortions after the first trimester had to take place in a hospital.

      New Mexico.   Governor Michelle Lujan recently signed an executive order to build an abortion clinic in Las Cruces, about 45 miles from its Texas border.

      Oregon.  Planned Parenthood in Willamette, OR is bracing for an influx of patients from neighboring Idaho. Oregon’s legislature has approved a $15 million expenditures to establish the Oregon Reproductive Health Equity Fund to aid women in need of abortions.

      Planned Parenthood maintains a continuously updated report on the legal status of abortion state-by-state.

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      The ‘drone view”

      Senate candidates are the perennial stars of midterm elections, but perhaps never more so than in 2022 as control of the Senate hangs by a thread. 

      With only one-third of senators up for re-election in each cycle, Senate races are easier for voters to monitor and candidates’ names are more widely known than for the House.

      And of the 36 Senate races, polls still rank 11 as too close to call.

      And while the House may have less star power, it has ably and amply demonstrated its value as a check on the influence of reactionaries on national policy.

      The sweeping Democratic victory in the 2018 mid-terms has now dangerously eroded, and years of gerrymandering have acted to reduce the number of seats that can be viably contested. 

      Of 435 House races, polls rank only 33 as toss-ups

      Only 20 more are rated as “leaning”…but not completely secure

      In other words, pollsters are saying that outcomes for 88% of House races are foregone conclusions… thanks in no small part to decades of gerrymandering.

      But it’s not just about Federal offices

      While most voters focus only on gubernatorial elections in their home states, recent years have reminded us that activist governors can have an outsized impact – for better or for worse – on policy that most impacts day-to-day life. And it should not be forgotten that 19 Presidents were previously governors, including Franklin Roosevelt, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan.

      This fall, governors will be elected in 36 states.

      Polls rank 11 of the 36 gubernatorial races with margins of 5% or less.

      U.S. voters living abroad are reminded that online registration for local elections are unavailable in:

      • AK
      • ME
      • MI
      • MT
      • NH
      • ND
      • OK
      • SD
      • TX

      Browse more COBALT blog posts on the 2022 elections – including highlights for individual races – here.

      Those living in Mexico who are eligible to vote in U.S. elections (born in the U.S. or born to a U.S. citizen) have the opportunity to influence the outcomes in Federal elections in two ways:

      • Register online here and have your ballot mailed to you. The election is only 10 weeks away.
      • Contribute to like-minded candidates not only in your home state, but to those in hotly contested elections nationwide.  More here.
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      C O B A L T: Now on social media

      There are now more options for C O B A L T ‘s online activists to influence public opinion on critical issues.

      Now you can

      • Follow us here on Facebook
      • Browse and download our memes here on Pinterest
      • Watch video clips on relevant issues here on YouTube.

      You can always find us in all of these places by clicking on the links at the bottom of each page

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      People want environmental action

      Despite the ‘climate change hoax’ drivel that has been circulating in recent years, public opinion in support of more aggressive environmental action continues to rise.

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      Not only is the level of support for political action increasing, but the willingness of individuals to share in the cost is also on the rise.

      In fact, Americans now recognize the threat of climate change as much as the much more real and immediate impact of polluted air and water.

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      Powerful commercial interests continue to exploit timber, water, and minerals for their own profit, and to thwart government policies that would hold them accountable. It will require a Congressional sea change in November to paint these modern-day pirates into a corner.

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      SCOTUS aborts

      The reversal of Roe v. Wade is not only striking in its repudiation of American public opinion….

      …but is an outlier in a world that is increasingly embracing woman’s right to choice.

      Legalization of that right has been adopted by nations of widely varying political and religious traditions: Predominantly Catholic nations in Europe and Latin America… the Scandinavian social democracies… much of Southeast and Pacific Rim Asia.

      The republics of the former Soviet Union – followed 10 years later by Cuba – were actually the first to legally recognize woman’s right to choice.

      Abortion has been legal in neighboring Canada since 1988, but long-standing holdout Mexico – fueled by resistance of its Catholic hierarchy – has recently surprised many. Abortion rights were first expanded in Mexico City in 2007, but the issue remained contested in many states until a 2021 decision by Mexico’s Supreme Court lifted legal barriers to abortion rights nationwide.

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      AR-15: No near-misses

      An assault rifle requires no marksmanship. It is a weapon intended only for the purpose of delivering lethal force to as many humans as possible in the briefest possible time. These words of a surgeon treating a mass shooting victim drive home the true horror of this weapon of mass destruction.

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      Welcome activists!

      Here café debate ends and activism begins.  C O B A L T provides tools and information designed for politically progressive Americans living abroad who seek to make an impact beyond their own vote. 

      C O B A L T

      • Connects voters’ issues to like-minded candidates
      • Delivers fact-based perspectives on the public agenda, supported by credible sources
      • Aggregates and supplements issue-focused content designed for Sharing on social media
      • Communicates upcoming voter registration deadlines
      • Promotes online voter registration
      • Showcases online campaign/donation sites of like-minded candidates
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