South Carolina Motorcycle Rights Association

RIDING FREE FROM DC:

Your Weekly Biker Bulletin from Inside the Beltway

Your Motorcycle Riders Foundation team in Washington, D.C. is pleased to provide our members with the latest information and updates on issues that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. Count on your MRF to keep you informed about a range of matters that are critical to the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle. Published weekly when the U.S. Congress is in session.

Capitol Hill Update

Keep Your Friends Close
Congress returned to DC this week after the President’s Day recess and the MRF was back on Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers. While a number of Members of Congress have been champions for the motorcycle community, Congressman Walberg of Michigan and Congressman Burgess of Texas consistently take the lead on motorcycle issues.

On Tuesday, we met with Congressman Burgess and discussed issues related to NHTSA and a resolution declaring May as “Motorcycle Awareness Month.” He mentioned that Congressman Walberg was harassing him about the need to get out on his bike more and he pledged to spend more time on his bike in the coming months.

On Thursday, we met with Congressman Walberg and discussed the rollout of the anti-profiling legislation for this Congress. Congressman Walberg and his office are committed to once again introducing a resolution regarding profiling of motorcyclists. His office is in discussions with the House Judiciary Committee, and we are aiding his office in the pursuit of cosponsors for the resolution. Once the bill is introduced, we will have a call to action in which we will ask MRF members to reach out to their elected officials and raise the profiling issue.  Ideally, we will see a bill introduced in the next few weeks.

As we were leaving, Congressman Walberg mentioned that he ran into some ABATE of Michigan members and even mentioned some by name at the Michigan Republican State Convention over the weekend. It’s always great when a member of Congress recognizes MRF members back home. It makes our job in DC easier when legislators have first-hand interactions with motorcyclists at home.   

One theme that was clear with both Congressmen; they love talking about motorcycles! The day to day grind of being a Congressman means these lawmakers are bouncing from meeting to meeting discussing a wide spectrum of issues from healthcare, taxes, or foreign affairs. When we began talking about motorcycles, you could see the passion that each holds about the issue. Both men are riders and understand the unique challenges motorcyclists face. It’s really special to see an elected member of Congress so passionate about our community.

Politics and Elections

Pulling Away
The most popular game in DC is speculating on who President Trump will face in the 2020 election. A new national Morning Consult poll of registered voters finds former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders pulling away from the rest of the Democratic presidential field.
 
Sen. Sanders is clearly getting a boost from his formal announcement.  According to the Morning Consul, he is up six points from just before he became an official candidate.  It remains to be seen if his rise begins a trend or is just a polling blip because of increased media attention.
 
Overall, the poll finds Mr. Biden’s national lead among Democratic voters at two points over Sen. Sanders, 29-27%.  But the pair are now well ahead of the remaining contenders.  Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is at 10%, three points ahead of both Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and former US Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) both at 7%.
 
Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) are next with 4 and 3%, respectively, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is the only other candidate above 1% preference (2%).  The other dozen individuals who have either announced or publicly indicated they are considering entering the race are in the 1% support range.
 
Reports suggest that Mr. Biden is close to deciding whether to enter the race.  Most of the analyses plan for him to become a candidate, but what happens if he decides against running?  Morning Consult looked at who would be the polling respondents’ second choice if their first selection decided not to run or exits the campaign.
 
Of the Biden supporters, 28% would go to Sen. Sanders should the former VP choose not to jump into the race.  Another 12% would gravitate to Sen. Harris, while 8% moves to Sen. Warren.  The remaining half of the Biden universe chose a lesser known candidate or indicated they had no second choice.
 
This poll is interesting in that it projects a clear top tier containing Biden and Sanders with a growing chasm between them and the other candidates.  It remains to be seen if this pattern continues.  The Biden decision will greatly affect future polling whether or not he becomes a candidate, while the next survey numbers should give us an indication about whether Sen. Sanders’ announcement bounce will have any staying effect.

 

Tiffany & Rocky
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. The MRF is chiefly concerned with issues at the national and international levels that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. The MRF is committed to being a national advocate for the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle and works in conjunction with its partners to help educate elected officials and policymakers in Washington and beyond.

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