“Larry’s Look”: #MovingHumanityForward Panel Sen. Heidi Campbell, Rep. Gloria Johnson & Unaffiliated Moderate Conservative Colorado Candidate Marina Zimmerman (July 18, 2022)
By Larry Daniels
A #MovingHumanityForward panel review hosted by “Bad” Brad Berkwitt with special guests Sen. Heidi Campbell, Marina Zimmerman, and Rep. Gloria Johnson.
Marina put the first question forward to the panel. “In order to move humanity forward, what do we need to see more of, wisdom, intelligence compassion, empathy, or something else?” Gloria responded with political courage. Fighting for the good of the country, fighting for democracy, and fighting for what is right. Heidi added grit, awareness, and responsibility. She makes a solid point that democracy is hard work. Motivation is key. Draw out the issues voters care about most.
Heidi submits the next question for the panel, noting the current activist Christocentric Supreme Court that is in place. “What are remedies to the situation, and are you in favor of packing the Court?” Marina replied her position has changed after doing her own research. There are now 13 Circuit Courts. History has shown expansion of the Supreme Court in step with the Circuit Courts. She now supports expansion of the Court, and is opposed to the movement toward an autocratic theocracy. Gloria agreed as well, and commended Marina for doing research and courageously rethinking her opinion.
Brad jumps in and raises the question of Justices stating that Roe v. Wade was a legal precedent during their senate confirmation hearings. Clearly, their true position was hidden under oath.
What should be done? Heidi makes the point that legally it would be difficult to litigate and move forward with impeachment. It could backfire politically. She would like to see a legislative path to resolving the issue in this case. Marina states that the reality of the situation makes it a difficult problem to solve. Legislatively, the polarization (especially in the Senate) blocks any path to justice here. It was perjury!
The system is flawed. Gloria brings up the solid point of government officials lying, and it being accepted behavior now. Marina is shocked by it. Heidi chimed in with Sen. Whitehouse exposing the grooming that is going on surrounding Supreme Court Justices. The shocking rulings coming forward are no accident. Brad puts forward a Trump “quid pro quo” involving Justice nominees at the time. The panel unanimously agrees with this idea.
Gloria submitted the next question. “What the heck is going on with the education policy?”. Heidi replied by saying the state of Tennessee is being hit with a privatized theocratic indoctrination program. Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn said at a Williamson County private event attended by Gov. Bill Lee, “Teachers were trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country”. Hillsdale College is spearheading an effort to put dozens of charter schools in the state. Marina added Betsy DeVos and Lauren Boebert have both been tearing down public schools in favor of religious private schools for years. Gloria and Heidi put forth the ties to the DeVos family and Hillsdale College. It all ties together. The blueprint to bring down public education. Betsy gave $400 million in previous donations to the RNC, and had zero education experience. What could go wrong?
Marina provided the next question to the panel. “How do we balance technology and humanity?”. Gloria came at this question from an educational perspective. In a controlled way, computers can provide information that is very useful. Social media has elements of danger that require supervision and adjustments. She points out smaller class sizes can be beneficial to progress. In the adult world of networking, a lot of good can come from it. Heidi would like to see regulation in cyberspace. Guardrails to prevent disaster in a sector that largely hasn’t been addressed yet.
Heidi provided the next question. “A lot of Americans are moving out of super majority States, and some are even leaving the country. How do you think a): it will impact our geopolitical standing, and b): our national political landscape?”. Marina replied that Republicans need to stay and fight for their core values against the extremist elements in the their party. Fight for democracy. Gloria sees it both ways, and can certainly see the need to move for family protection. She shared a surprise fact about early voting in Eastern Tennessee. The Democratic numbers are way up, causing a lot of concern in the Republican party.
Gloria sends out the next question. “What are the major effects of Dobbs in your state?” Heidi responded that Tennessee is a trigger state and they are in big trouble. A major paper (The Tennessean), ran a biased religious article that proposed making sure abortions don’t happen. On a positive note, her campaign recently encountered young voters that are going to be in the fight. I hope that is the case nationally. Heidi makes an excellent point that the ruling of the Supreme Court kicking the can to the States on rights issues is malpractice. How can our rights be determined in 50 different geographical locations? That doesn’t sound like the “United” States to me. Marina answered her state government is Blue at present, and that it will be safe for women to come and get reproductive care in Colorado. We need to close the loopholes legislatively. Great point.
Marina submitted the next question. “What will bring humanity back together?”. Gloria would like to see neighbors looking out for each other. Having civility. She shared a recent law that was passed, making it a felony to be homeless. My teeth clenched. Her point was that instead of helping this person get a leg up, the effect is the creation of a giant financial burden on the state. More private prisons? Debtor prisons? It’s insane. Marina shared going into “the den of the crazy” (Central Committee Meetings on the Republican side). They basically want to remove the homeless from their communities. What is this? Moving humans to storage so they can’t be seen? It’s outrageous. Brad added the point about how the homeless were treated on the “Andy Griffith Show”. They were given odd jobs to earn a few bucks. It wasn’t about being judgmental, it was about dignity and respect. How times have changed.
Heidi puts forth the next question. It is a great one to ponder. “As periods of drought become more frequent in the West, and water becomes more difficult to procure, do you think we will see intranational climate migration to the Eastern states? If so, what kind of challenges will that present?”. Marina stated that by the year 2026, the Colorado Compact of 1922 will have to be renegotiated. The water of Lake Mead has fallen below the pump level. Electricity will not be produced. She believes they will see a migration of people going to the East. She is not sure of what the effect of that migration will look like. Gloria added the fact that she used to live near Denver in the early 2000s. At that time, you had to wash your car only on certain days of the week. She can’t imagine what this looks like now.
Gloria asks the panel this question. “How do you think candidates should address the violence we see in the GOP today, or should they?”. Heidi zeroes in on a huge problem. Corporate greed. Fox News pushes the narrative that the left is extremely violent at all times, which is simply not true. An angered, warlike society is profitable and sustainable for the bottom line. Was money a part of January 6th? Were people bussed in? Were supplies brought in? Her point has so much merit. Marina adds the need to regulate the violence. Put the hammer down. I think she means make the punishments fit the crime. Gloria would like to see candidates go on record regarding the events around January 6th. She cited Heidi’s political opponent mentioning President Biden and shooting a flamethrower up in the air. What is the point in that? Brad joins in at this point and puts the Republicans on full blast mode.
The ads, the speeches are historically un-American and not historically what the GOP used to stand for. Marina adds a long known political truth. Follow the money. Boebert is not capable of understanding what she is saying. She is paid to put it out there. Marina brings up another point. The non-voter. The precious gift of democracy that is not claimed. Frustrating. Heidi submits a mandatory vote idea. For everyone. That would be perfect.
Marina gives us the next question. “How do we reassert diversity and inclusiveness and end discrimination in this country today?”. Please watch Gloria’s brilliant breakdown to answer this question. Teacher? She is that. Nathan Bedford Forrest should not be celebrated in any way, shape, or form in this country. Gloria’s examples are spot on. The panel agrees that systemic racism has always been there, and the Trump era pulled the tarp off of it. The solution? The ballot box.
Brad puts forward the next question. I am going to generalize it here. “In an area where a Democrat has no chance of winning, would you rather see an old school Republican that you could work with on issues get elected, or a rabid Trump supporter?” Gloria points out that a moderate Republican has a very short lived political career in Tennessee. She would like to see democrats, especially in rural areas, get out and speak to issues like Medicaid expansion and family leave.
Heidi gives us the next question for the panel. “What are the things that you are most optimistic about right now?”. Marina bluntly replied that she is scared. If we lose in November, We could be headed towards an authoritarian theocracy. Marginalized people could lose their rights. She is correct. This election decides all of it. Gloria is optimistic. She is seeing change. Republicans are coming to Democratic events, and in some cases, switching parties. Early voting numbers in her area have larger Democratic counts.
Brad gives the final question for the panel. “What do you do to recharge your batteries?”. Heidi finds talking to like minded friends relieve some of the burden that she feels. Her analogy of a society faced with Nazi Germany is the closest thing we can look at with a historical perspective right now. Marina likes to play poker, get a shot of whiskey, and hop on her Harley to take a ride (not consecutively, she adds). We all need a ride and die friend like her. Gloria loves live music and talking with like-minded friends. I think the panel should get matching leather ride and die jackets.
Closing thoughts:
What was the number one request this panel put out for all of us? A: Get out and vote. Have neighborly discussions about the issues that face all of us. What happens when Congressional members stop talking with no compromise? Bills do not get passed. We suffer. We lose confidence in a government that is for the people.
This panel is committed to civil debate. To civil discussion. To over the fence talk without discrimination. Isn’t that what we deserve from our elected officials? I have so much respect for Brad and the women on this panel. Their hearts beat red, white, and blue. A democracy that cements rights for all Americans will keep our hearts beating strong. They want what is best for us. Support them in any way you can.