After Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced this weekend that he would not support either the For the People voting act or an attempt to break the filibuster for a voting measure, but would work to get bipartisan agreement on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, today Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pulled the rug out from under him.
Look, everybody, I am trying to do my day job, then I make the mistake of reading Heather's letter. Then I compound it by seeing what the first comments are, made worse by delving deeper into the views of this eclectic group. And in next to no time I have lost a good 30 minutes of precious working time. There is much wisdom seeping through these pages, and then there are cars, Chardonnay and cucumber sandwiches. Thanks everyone for enlightening me but please be more boring in future so that I can get back to work more easily.
I am so tired of the emotional blackmail being perpetuated on the American people by a few people who don't deserve the name "politician". These people are not politicians. What they are after is power, not the process of decision-making that politics is supposed to be about. This pattern of stripping dignity from not only the process but those we interact with has been seeping through all our interactions. It is poisoning not just our ability to seek solutions, but even the foundations on which we try to build that "more perfect union". If we the people keep adopting the demeaning manners and rhetoric, there will be nothing left to make working on worthwhile. I'm tired of the name-calling, the questioning of motives, the snarky comments that are replacing the spirited and thoughtful discussions. I'm sad. And I'm feeling sickened. I am a natural optimist, and I do believe that if we keep focused on the potential of democracy we will not only save it, we will strengthen it. But we have fallen into the trap that the Trump republicans set and that the McConnell republicans have coopted to use to manipulate us.
I disagree with one sentence- actually one word in your letter tonight, Heather. You wrote "To say there is no threat to the voting rights law is delusional." McConnell is not delusional. He knows full well what he is saying, and it is an attempt (yet another) to manipulate us into his trap of controlling how we respond. We jump right into it, and weaken our ability to work together.
I have come to appreciate the people here, and some I truly cherish. But I need people who are putting their energy into making things change.
I've spent the last week following indigenous women who are standing up against power. Listening to discussions among people who are giving me ways of looking at what is going on that show how to meet it head on. Listening to poets, watching artists turn their art toward peaceful protest. Watching old people speak out, and young people join them. I am too.
Washington DC is not the only game, and I think focusing overmuch on it makes us miss the things that are going on all over our country (and in others, including Canada) where people are questioning and standing against this negative way of responding. Biden has been in office for less than 6 months and already there are intellectual wanna-bes looking for ways to sound as if they are too sophisticated to stand up and support him.
If all we can do is form a circle around Biden with our letters and comments so he and Harris can keep going until we can breathe a bit more easily, then that's what we do. Those who can do more, do more but please try to stay out of each other's way. There is room for multitudes of kinds of action. Act with fierceness and dedication, but act with kindness. And act locally: pay attention to what's going on in your state and in your city or county. Fight.
Don't give up and become like the people who are trying to trip us up.
Bipartisanship is like the mirage of an oasis in the Sahara. Why Democrats, including the president, at this point don't accept this fact and act accordingly is beyond baffling. Pass a big, bold infrastructure plan under reconciliation and let the country see what Democrats can deliver and go from there. Tamping down the pandemic and beginning to rebuild the nation's infrastructure are the only sure bets to deliver votes, helping to win Senate and House seats in 2022. The rest is just theater. Manchin and Sinema will never budge on the filibuster. They don't care about voting rights.
We must realize that we have bipartisanship/multi-partisanship (don't forget the Independents and Libertarians, and all the other small parties) across the People of this nation. Like the 79% of West Virginians who support the For the People Act. The politicians like Senator Manchin, Senate Minority Leader McConnell and almost all the Republicans are nothing but obstructionists who are focused only on power and money. They are representatives of Koch and the like and the Russian Oligarchs. These are the only "constituents" they obey. They do not represent the People. The People must stand together to win this battle for the democratic soul of America. The People, all of them, must speak. Re-elect No One.
I think HCR used the most appropriate (and polite) term available when she used, "delusional," to describes Mr. McConnell's position on the events of the day. It is, indeed, rich, for him...now...to declare that the age/time of bipartisanship is, "over." I'm not sure what planet he normally resides on, but that is an adverb that has not applied nor been seen in DC for a long time (as we all know). It seems to me as I watch various old white Republicans make sound-bite statements, that they are simply without any other options other than to retreat back to their position they had with President Obama: we simply don't support anything you (Dems) do. I would point out, too, that their resistance is always based on money and where it comes from and rarely on principle, but there always seems to be an underlying current that they will always object to anything that seeks to elevate the marginalized in America...draw your own conclusions on that one...
HCR has been good (and consistent) in pointing out that EVERYTHING that has come down the pike in this administration's agenda has been supported, in some case overwhelmingly so, by a majority OF THE COUNTRY. How the good Senator from Kentucky can continue in his rhetoric about how there is, "no problem," and that everything is fine is, unquestionably, delusional. Sadly: all of them speak, nay, SHOUT to their base that they are correct in their thinking and position(s) but it is clear that they are shouting at an increasingly diminishing group of AMERICANS. It is truly sad that the Country WILL move on (apparently with their supporters clinging to fantasies and false promises) without them. As the ProPublica piece indicates, this Country is truly subsidizing millionaires, even billionaires, at the expense of the rest (the 90+%) and thus, what has the Repulican party done for rest, lately? (you don't have to answer)
While I am a 50 yo white male who would love to be on capital hill helping shape the future, I sadly see people like Mr. Manchin trying to split the baby or at worst enjoy his moment of power and relevance by saying, "no." It begs the old question of, "with friends like this who needs enemies?" I would do better and he should do better. Mr. Manchin should recognize that there is a very small window that the Country has (through its legislative process and current representational position) to make some serious and needed changes to the way it does its electoral business. Very. Narrow. And much depends on it. Much. Depends. On. It.
I sincerely hope the Good Senator from West Virginia takes a big cup of Wake UP and realizes that his, dare I say, "delusional," objections to making this electoral process right are going to place him on the wrong side of history if not the immediate trajectory of the Country.
As always, thank you HCR for all you do and that you have continued to do so. Your hosting this platform and informing the conversation is, to me, critical. Many blessings.
Why does McConnell hold any power? Why can’t he give it up and fade away! He’s done more to undermine democracy than anyone else ever. He always stands in the way of progress and bipartisanship. I only see him as a traitor. There’s so much hope and then enters Moscow Mitch!
"Blaming the Democrats for advancing what he calls “partisan” bills, McConnell pointed to the equal pay act as a sign that the "era of bipartisanship is over.” - McConnell is delusional. The era of bipartisanship has not existed since he has been Majority/Minority leader
I can think of several pejorative terms to describe Mitch McConnell, “vile” comes to mind most often, but delusional he is not. Joe Manchin fits the description rather well if he continues to believe there is any chance of bipartisan support for any congressional initiative that might make the Democrats look good in 2022.
I think the Dems are investing time and demonstrating an effort to get bipartisan support in order to show the voters of this country that McConnell really means what he says — and that the repetrolicans will follow him like sheep. This will give us real-time information to use as we campaign for Dems next year; however, we are running out of time NOW.
Reconciliation is a lengthy process, bidding and contracts and land acquisition don’t happen overnight. Vetting of healthcare workers and childcare workers isn’t quickly accomplished. Construction trades must be trained and hired, and so on. Candidates can’t just run on an anti- R platform, Dems must be able to give Americans passed legislation and shovels in the dirt. Federal standard election law, the end of the filibuster on Constitutional legislation — which includes the right to vote! And so on, deliver something the candidates can run on, and we can help them win with! Time to play ball, NOW
We have some of the best leaders and legislators the Democrats have had, but they are up against some of the best players they have ever faced. Time for us to get mobilized. Michael Steele said last night that 2022 is going to require 10 times the effort from us than we gave in 2020. Give me the ball, coach!
Heather, I find your letter verging on heartbreaking. At 74 years of age, I have watched these Republican tactics used over and over again. Now I am reading about them being in books you have written. It is time for the Democrats to enact the change needed for the needy and disenfranchised. As you wrote today, "The Republican position took a hit this morning, when ProPublica published an investigation based on leaked tax documents. It revealed that America’s 25 richest people—some with more than $100 billion in wealth—pay remarkably little in federal income taxes…sometimes nothing. They can avoid taxes through various accounting methods, while ordinary Americans pay full fare."
Heather found gold with the Letter of 302 heroic organizations stepping up to speak up to petition Biden and Harris on behalf of the For the People Act. These are the groups for us to join--find our peeps, channel our energy and knowledge into constructive action. There is something for everyone: advocacy, civic, faith and labor groups in 43 states and DC. If we are not already among these 2.5 million Americans working in these organizations, then we need to pick one. Now.
I am loathe to take up a lot of real estate in these posts, but this is a critical list of groups we must support. Are you already with one of them?
(list of A-L)
Action for a Better Tomorrow - Sauk Valley - Dixon, Illinois
Action Together Florida - Bradenton, Florida
Action Together New Jersey - Madison, New Jersey
Activate America - Oakland, California
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Council 12 - Los Angeles, California
African American Christian Clergy Coalition - Phoenix, Arizona
Alabama Association for the Arts - Huntsville, Alabama
Alabama Black Women's Roundtable North - Birmingham, Alabama
Alabama State Association of Cooperatives - Gainesville, Alabama
Alaskans Take A Stand - Anchorage, Alaska
Amalgamated Transit Union - Local 1212 - Chattanooga, Tennessee
American Federation of Governmental Employees - Local 2400 - Nashville, Tennessee
APIA Vote Colorado - Westminster, Colorado
Arizona Dream Act Coalition - Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona Faith Network - Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona Students’ Association - Phoenix, Arizona
Arrowhead Indivisible - Grand Marais, Minnesota
Hawaiian Airlines Association of Flight Attendants - CWA, AFL-CIO - Honolulu, Hawaii
Avondale ACTion - Avondale Estates, Georgia
Baltimore County Progressive Democrats Club - Towson, Maryland
Be the Change Bmore - Baltimore, Maryland
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Champaign-Urbana - Champaign, Illinois
Mitch McConnell does not give one inch, illustrating with every decision that he is totally partisan, that he will do everything he can do to protect the Republican Party....... country and Constitution and democracy be damned. If he were able to think beyond his nose and his ambition to return to Majority Leader, he could have scored some points with the American people by supporting the For the People Voting Act. It is clear now, as it should have been before, that there is no there there in McConnell when it comes to bipartisanship. Democrats should proceed as rapidly as possible to get any bill they can get passed with budget reconciliation. McConnell will filibuster anything which even remotely threatens a Republican majority. He could care less about the great leading lights of the American Republic, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, nor the great senatorial deal makers and compromisers of the past. He is all about the naked use of power. Period. Unfortunately, McConnell is a very limited person. What is scary is that he may be the best of the leadership that the current Republican Party is capable of. God help us.
If Manchin is an idiot, Sinema needs to be seen for what she is: a troll. She's a "Democrat" who's proud to have more Republican friends in the Senate than friends among her fellow Democrats. She started her political career as a far left Green Democrat self-proclaimed "bomb thrower" who found she could advance herself by claiming friends with Republicans. I personally think she's like most Greens, who can't be trusted further than you can see them with your eyes closed, who are just fine with running Republican-financed campaigns against Democrats as paid "spoilers," that and Russian-paid trolls, like Jill Stein.
Heather found gold with the Letter of 302 heroic organizations stepping up to speak up to petition Biden and Harris on behalf of the For the People Act. These are the groups for us to join--find our peeps, channel our energy and knowledge into constructive action. There is something for everyone: advocacy, civic, faith and labor groups in 43 states and DC. If we are not already among these 2.5 million Americans working in these organizations, then we need to pick one. Now.
I am loathe to take up a lot of real estate in these posts, but this is a critical list of groups we must support. Are you already with one of them?
(list of M-Z)
Maine Citizens for Clean Elections - Portland, Maine
Maine People's Alliance - Portland, Maine
Mainers for Accountable Leadership - Maine
Mainstream Coalition - Merriam, Kansas
Mary F. Handy Women's Missionary Society - Huntington, West Virginia
Maryland Latinos Unidos - Baltimore, Maryland
Media Voices for Children - Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts
Mi Familia Vota - Phoenix, Arizona
Michigan People's Campaign - Detroit, Michigan
Michigan United - Detroit, Michigan
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action - Parkersburg, West Virginia
Missouri Voter Protection Coalition - Missouri
Mountaintop Progressives - Greene County, New York
National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA Local 59051 - SF, California
National Association of Social Workers - West Virginia chapter - Charleston, West Virginia
National Council of Jewish Women - Greater New Orleans Section - New Orleans, Louisiana
National Council of Jewish Women - PA - Pennsylvania
National Council of Jewish Women - CA - California
National Council of Jewish Women - Cleveland - Cleveland, Ohio
National Council of Jewish Women - Greater New Orleans Section - New Orleans, Louisiana
National Council of Jewish Women - Illinois - Illinois
National Council of Jewish Women - Louisville Section - Louisville ,Kentucky
National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan - Michigan
National Rural Social Work Caucus - Murray, Kentucky
National Council of Jewish Women - Essex Section - Livingston, New Jersey
Necessary Trouble - Atlanta, Georgia
Neighbors Organizing for Power & Equality - Washington, D.C.
Neighbors Who Vote - Chicago, Illinois
Network Delaware - Delaware
New Hampshire Youth Movement - New Hampshire
North Carolina Council of Churches - North Carolina
NorthEast Polk Democratic Club - Davenport, Florida
Northern Progressives - Cook, Minnesota
Northridge Indivisible - Northridge, California
NWGSD - Portland, Oregon
NY Indivisible - New York, New York
NYCD16-Indivisible - Yonkers, New York
Oblong Valley Indivisible - Millerton, New York
Ohio Progressive Action Leaders - Ohio
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition - Huntington, West Virginia
Omaha Action Coalition - Omaha, Nebraska
One Queens Indivisible - Queens County, New York
Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 277 - Nashville, Tennessee
Our Revolution Greater Fall River - Fall River, Massachusetts
Peace Action Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Physicians for a National Health Program - Rhode Island chapter - Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Plymouth Area Indivisible - Plymouth, Minnesota
Poder Latinx - Orlando, Florida
Polk County Democratic Club - Lakeland, Florida
Progress Arizona - Phoenix, Arizona
Progressive Democrats of America - Arizona - Phoenix, Arizona
Progressive Democrats of America - California - Los Angeles, California
Progressive Democrats of America - Central New Mexico - Albuquerque, New Mexico
Progressive Democrats of America - Colorado - Denver, Colorado
Progressive Democrats of America - East Los Angeles County - Whittier, California
Progressive Democrats of America - Maryland - Baltimore, Maryland
Progressive Democrats of America - Nebraska - Omaha, Nebraska
Progressive Democrats of America - Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Progressive Democrats of America - Virginia - Alexandria, Virginia
Progressive Mariposa - Mariposa, California
Progressive Rural Overhill Women for Democracy - Sweetwater, Tennessee
Progressive Yamhill - McMinnville, Oregon
Putnam Progressives - Mahopac, New York
Reclaim Our Democracy - Concord, Massachusetts
Renew Rhode Island - Providence, Rhode Island
Represent Georgia Institute - Atlanta, Georgia
Represent George Action Network - Macon, Georgia
RepresentUs New Mexico - New Mexico
Resist 45 Bremerton - Bremerton, Washington
Rhode Island Democratic Women's Caucus - Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island Healthcare Access & Affordability Partnership - Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Rhode Island Political Cooperative - Providence, Rhode Island
Rights & Democracy - Vermont - Burlington, Vermont
Rights & Democracy - New Hampshire - Manchester, New Hampshire
Rise Up Western Mass Indivisible - Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Rise Up WV - Charleston, West Virginia
Rooted in Resistance - Pasadena, California
Sierra Madre Activists Rebuilding Together - Sierra Madre, California
Silver Spring Progressive Action - Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver State Equality - Nevada
Sister District Marin - Novato, California
SNCC Legacy Project - Washington, D.C.
Sneakers Laced Up South Shore - Marshfield, Massachusetts
SOMA Action - South Orange-Maplewood, New Jersey
Sonoma Valley Resistance - Sonoma, California
South Central Brooklyn United for Progress - Brooklyn, New York
Southern Appalachian Labor School - Kincaid, West Virginia
Stand up Alaska - Anchorage, Alaska
Indivisible Michigan - Michigan
Summit Area Indivisible - Summit, New Jersey
Sunrise Tacoma - Tacoma, Washington
SURJ Marin - Showing UP for Racial Justice - Marin County, California
Swing Left Austin - Austin, Texas
Swing Left Greater Boston - Boston, Massachusetts
Swing Left Marin - San Rafael, California
Swing Left of North and Central New Jersey - New Jersey
Swing Left San Francisco - San Francisco, California
Swing Left Sonoma County - Santa Rosa, California
Swing Left Target Majority NYC - New York, New York
Teamsters Local 519 - Knoxville, Tennessee
Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council - Nashville, Tennessee
The Order of the Phoenix - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Womxn Project - Wakefield, Rhode Island
Tennessee Democratic Party Labor Caucus - Knoxville, Tennessee
Towards Justice Committee, First Unitarian Church of St. Louis - St. Louis, Missouri
Town of Callicoon Democratic Club - Callicoon, New York
Truth and Democracy Coalition - Whittier, California
U-Act (Ulster Activists) - New Paltz, New York
United Vision for Idaho - Boise, Idaho
Upper West Side MoveOn/Indivisible Action Group - New York, New York
Voices of Reason - Normal, Illinois
Wallingford Indivisible - Seattle, Washington
We Are One Sullivan - Sullivan County, New York
Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club - Oakland, California
Westchester United - Hastings on Hudson, New York
Westfield 20/20 - Westfield, New Jersey
Women's Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church - Washington, D.C.
Women of Color Coalition - Multi-state
Writers for Democratic Action - Multi-state
WV Citizen Action - Charleston, West Virginia
WV Citizens for Clean Elections - Charleston, West Virginia
WV FREE - Charleston, West Virginia
Young Democrats of Arizona - Phoenix, Arizona
Advocacy and Awareness Group of Johnson County - Overland Park, Kansas
13 PAGES Indivisible - Oakland, California
159 Georgia Together - Hinesville, Georgia
350 Bay Area Action - San Francisco East Bay, California
STOP THE PRESSES - BREAKING NEWS!!
Val Demings just announced she’s running for Senate in Florida against Marco Rubio.
All Florida Democrats need to pull out the stops and fight like hell for this incredible woman. Finally a sliver of hope in Florida.
Look, everybody, I am trying to do my day job, then I make the mistake of reading Heather's letter. Then I compound it by seeing what the first comments are, made worse by delving deeper into the views of this eclectic group. And in next to no time I have lost a good 30 minutes of precious working time. There is much wisdom seeping through these pages, and then there are cars, Chardonnay and cucumber sandwiches. Thanks everyone for enlightening me but please be more boring in future so that I can get back to work more easily.
I am so tired of the emotional blackmail being perpetuated on the American people by a few people who don't deserve the name "politician". These people are not politicians. What they are after is power, not the process of decision-making that politics is supposed to be about. This pattern of stripping dignity from not only the process but those we interact with has been seeping through all our interactions. It is poisoning not just our ability to seek solutions, but even the foundations on which we try to build that "more perfect union". If we the people keep adopting the demeaning manners and rhetoric, there will be nothing left to make working on worthwhile. I'm tired of the name-calling, the questioning of motives, the snarky comments that are replacing the spirited and thoughtful discussions. I'm sad. And I'm feeling sickened. I am a natural optimist, and I do believe that if we keep focused on the potential of democracy we will not only save it, we will strengthen it. But we have fallen into the trap that the Trump republicans set and that the McConnell republicans have coopted to use to manipulate us.
I disagree with one sentence- actually one word in your letter tonight, Heather. You wrote "To say there is no threat to the voting rights law is delusional." McConnell is not delusional. He knows full well what he is saying, and it is an attempt (yet another) to manipulate us into his trap of controlling how we respond. We jump right into it, and weaken our ability to work together.
I have come to appreciate the people here, and some I truly cherish. But I need people who are putting their energy into making things change.
I've spent the last week following indigenous women who are standing up against power. Listening to discussions among people who are giving me ways of looking at what is going on that show how to meet it head on. Listening to poets, watching artists turn their art toward peaceful protest. Watching old people speak out, and young people join them. I am too.
Washington DC is not the only game, and I think focusing overmuch on it makes us miss the things that are going on all over our country (and in others, including Canada) where people are questioning and standing against this negative way of responding. Biden has been in office for less than 6 months and already there are intellectual wanna-bes looking for ways to sound as if they are too sophisticated to stand up and support him.
If all we can do is form a circle around Biden with our letters and comments so he and Harris can keep going until we can breathe a bit more easily, then that's what we do. Those who can do more, do more but please try to stay out of each other's way. There is room for multitudes of kinds of action. Act with fierceness and dedication, but act with kindness. And act locally: pay attention to what's going on in your state and in your city or county. Fight.
Don't give up and become like the people who are trying to trip us up.
Bipartisanship is like the mirage of an oasis in the Sahara. Why Democrats, including the president, at this point don't accept this fact and act accordingly is beyond baffling. Pass a big, bold infrastructure plan under reconciliation and let the country see what Democrats can deliver and go from there. Tamping down the pandemic and beginning to rebuild the nation's infrastructure are the only sure bets to deliver votes, helping to win Senate and House seats in 2022. The rest is just theater. Manchin and Sinema will never budge on the filibuster. They don't care about voting rights.
We must realize that we have bipartisanship/multi-partisanship (don't forget the Independents and Libertarians, and all the other small parties) across the People of this nation. Like the 79% of West Virginians who support the For the People Act. The politicians like Senator Manchin, Senate Minority Leader McConnell and almost all the Republicans are nothing but obstructionists who are focused only on power and money. They are representatives of Koch and the like and the Russian Oligarchs. These are the only "constituents" they obey. They do not represent the People. The People must stand together to win this battle for the democratic soul of America. The People, all of them, must speak. Re-elect No One.
I think HCR used the most appropriate (and polite) term available when she used, "delusional," to describes Mr. McConnell's position on the events of the day. It is, indeed, rich, for him...now...to declare that the age/time of bipartisanship is, "over." I'm not sure what planet he normally resides on, but that is an adverb that has not applied nor been seen in DC for a long time (as we all know). It seems to me as I watch various old white Republicans make sound-bite statements, that they are simply without any other options other than to retreat back to their position they had with President Obama: we simply don't support anything you (Dems) do. I would point out, too, that their resistance is always based on money and where it comes from and rarely on principle, but there always seems to be an underlying current that they will always object to anything that seeks to elevate the marginalized in America...draw your own conclusions on that one...
HCR has been good (and consistent) in pointing out that EVERYTHING that has come down the pike in this administration's agenda has been supported, in some case overwhelmingly so, by a majority OF THE COUNTRY. How the good Senator from Kentucky can continue in his rhetoric about how there is, "no problem," and that everything is fine is, unquestionably, delusional. Sadly: all of them speak, nay, SHOUT to their base that they are correct in their thinking and position(s) but it is clear that they are shouting at an increasingly diminishing group of AMERICANS. It is truly sad that the Country WILL move on (apparently with their supporters clinging to fantasies and false promises) without them. As the ProPublica piece indicates, this Country is truly subsidizing millionaires, even billionaires, at the expense of the rest (the 90+%) and thus, what has the Repulican party done for rest, lately? (you don't have to answer)
While I am a 50 yo white male who would love to be on capital hill helping shape the future, I sadly see people like Mr. Manchin trying to split the baby or at worst enjoy his moment of power and relevance by saying, "no." It begs the old question of, "with friends like this who needs enemies?" I would do better and he should do better. Mr. Manchin should recognize that there is a very small window that the Country has (through its legislative process and current representational position) to make some serious and needed changes to the way it does its electoral business. Very. Narrow. And much depends on it. Much. Depends. On. It.
I sincerely hope the Good Senator from West Virginia takes a big cup of Wake UP and realizes that his, dare I say, "delusional," objections to making this electoral process right are going to place him on the wrong side of history if not the immediate trajectory of the Country.
As always, thank you HCR for all you do and that you have continued to do so. Your hosting this platform and informing the conversation is, to me, critical. Many blessings.
Why does McConnell hold any power? Why can’t he give it up and fade away! He’s done more to undermine democracy than anyone else ever. He always stands in the way of progress and bipartisanship. I only see him as a traitor. There’s so much hope and then enters Moscow Mitch!
"Blaming the Democrats for advancing what he calls “partisan” bills, McConnell pointed to the equal pay act as a sign that the "era of bipartisanship is over.” - McConnell is delusional. The era of bipartisanship has not existed since he has been Majority/Minority leader
I can think of several pejorative terms to describe Mitch McConnell, “vile” comes to mind most often, but delusional he is not. Joe Manchin fits the description rather well if he continues to believe there is any chance of bipartisan support for any congressional initiative that might make the Democrats look good in 2022.
It’s time for Dems to drop that “when they go low, we go high” belief.
I think the Dems are investing time and demonstrating an effort to get bipartisan support in order to show the voters of this country that McConnell really means what he says — and that the repetrolicans will follow him like sheep. This will give us real-time information to use as we campaign for Dems next year; however, we are running out of time NOW.
Reconciliation is a lengthy process, bidding and contracts and land acquisition don’t happen overnight. Vetting of healthcare workers and childcare workers isn’t quickly accomplished. Construction trades must be trained and hired, and so on. Candidates can’t just run on an anti- R platform, Dems must be able to give Americans passed legislation and shovels in the dirt. Federal standard election law, the end of the filibuster on Constitutional legislation — which includes the right to vote! And so on, deliver something the candidates can run on, and we can help them win with! Time to play ball, NOW
We have some of the best leaders and legislators the Democrats have had, but they are up against some of the best players they have ever faced. Time for us to get mobilized. Michael Steele said last night that 2022 is going to require 10 times the effort from us than we gave in 2020. Give me the ball, coach!
Heather, I find your letter verging on heartbreaking. At 74 years of age, I have watched these Republican tactics used over and over again. Now I am reading about them being in books you have written. It is time for the Democrats to enact the change needed for the needy and disenfranchised. As you wrote today, "The Republican position took a hit this morning, when ProPublica published an investigation based on leaked tax documents. It revealed that America’s 25 richest people—some with more than $100 billion in wealth—pay remarkably little in federal income taxes…sometimes nothing. They can avoid taxes through various accounting methods, while ordinary Americans pay full fare."
Part 1 of 2 (Substack space limitation)
Heather found gold with the Letter of 302 heroic organizations stepping up to speak up to petition Biden and Harris on behalf of the For the People Act. These are the groups for us to join--find our peeps, channel our energy and knowledge into constructive action. There is something for everyone: advocacy, civic, faith and labor groups in 43 states and DC. If we are not already among these 2.5 million Americans working in these organizations, then we need to pick one. Now.
I am loathe to take up a lot of real estate in these posts, but this is a critical list of groups we must support. Are you already with one of them?
(list of A-L)
Action for a Better Tomorrow - Sauk Valley - Dixon, Illinois
Action Together Florida - Bradenton, Florida
Action Together New Jersey - Madison, New Jersey
Activate America - Oakland, California
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Council 12 - Los Angeles, California
African American Christian Clergy Coalition - Phoenix, Arizona
Alabama Association for the Arts - Huntsville, Alabama
Alabama Black Women's Roundtable North - Birmingham, Alabama
Alabama State Association of Cooperatives - Gainesville, Alabama
Alaskans Take A Stand - Anchorage, Alaska
Amalgamated Transit Union - Local 1212 - Chattanooga, Tennessee
American Federation of Governmental Employees - Local 2400 - Nashville, Tennessee
APIA Vote Colorado - Westminster, Colorado
Arizona Dream Act Coalition - Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona Faith Network - Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona Students’ Association - Phoenix, Arizona
Arrowhead Indivisible - Grand Marais, Minnesota
Hawaiian Airlines Association of Flight Attendants - CWA, AFL-CIO - Honolulu, Hawaii
Avondale ACTion - Avondale Estates, Georgia
Baltimore County Progressive Democrats Club - Towson, Maryland
Be the Change Bmore - Baltimore, Maryland
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Champaign-Urbana - Champaign, Illinois
Beth Tikvah Congregation Tzedek - Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Bethlehem NY Indivisible - Bethlehem, New York
Bible Study for Progressives - Whittier, California
BLM Rhode Island PAC - Providence, Rhode Island
Blue Wave Postcard Movement - Boulder, Colorado
Blue Wave Postcarders - Los Angeles, California
Broward for Progress - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Build Back Better - Olympia, Washington
Build Back Better Thurston - Olympia, Washington
Butternut Valley Indivisible - Gilbertsville, New York
Call 4 Change - Ross, California
Carolina For All - Columbia, South Carolina
Carroll County Democratic Club - Westminster, Maryland
CBFD Indivisible San Diego - San Diego, California
CCoHOPE Indivisible, Croton On Hudson - New York
Change Begins With ME - Indivisible - San Diego, California
Citizen Action of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Civic Sundays - Los Angeles, California
Clayton Huddle - Indivisible Chapter - Clayton, Missouri
Clean Elections Texas - Dallas, Texas
Climate Reality Bay Area - San Francisco Bay Area, California
Coast Democratic Club - Mendocino, California
Commit To Democracy - Walnut Creek, California
Communication Workers of America Local 9333 - Modesto, California
Communications Workers of America District 9 - Santa Fe Springs, California
Communications Workers of America Local 39000 - Santa Fe Springs, California
Communications Workers of America Local 9003 - Burbank, California
Communications Workers of America Local 9408 - Fresno, California
Communications Workers of America Local 9413 - Nevada
Communications Workers of America Local 9416 - Bakersfield, California
Communications Workers of America Local 9505 - Monrovia, California
Communications Workers of America Local 9511 - Escondido, California
Communications Workers of America Local 9412 - Hayward, California
Communications Workers of America Arizona State Council - Tucson, Arizona
Congregation Hakafa - Glencoe, Illinois
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes - Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries- Greater Boston, Massachusetts
Crooked River Action - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
CT Shoreline Indivisible - Guilford, Connecticut
Democracy NC - Morrisville, North Carolina
Democratic Women of Knoxville - Knoxville, Tennessee
Downtown East for Progress - New York, New York
East Bay Activist Alliance - Berkeley, California
East Valley Indivisibles - San Fernando Valley, California
Equality California - Los Angeles, California
Equity Action Collective - Blue Springs, Missouri
Evanston North/Shore Branch NAACP - Evanston, Illinois
Face the Music Collective - San Francisco, California
Field Team 6 - Los Angeles, California
Fix Democracy First - Seattle, Washington
Forward United NEO - Macedonia, Ohio
Fuse Washington - Seattle, Washington
GA Familias Unidas - Gainesville, Georgia
Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda - Atlanta, Georgia
Get Money Out - Maryland - Baltimore, Maryland
Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition - New York, New York
Grove City Urbancrest Progress - Grove City, Ohio
Hillcrest Indivisible - San Diego, California
Hold the Line - Maryland - Clarksville, Maryland
Hometown Action - Montevallo, Alabama
Hoosier Action - New Albany, Indiana
Hudson Valley Indivisible - Hudson Valley, New York
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 492 - Nashville, Tennessee
Indivisible Action Tampa Bay - Tampa, Florida
Indivisible Acton Area - Acton, Massachusetts
Indivisible Beach Cities - Los Angeles South Bay, California
Indivisible Bemidji - Bemidji, Minnesota
Indivisible Brooklyn - Brooklyn, New York
Indivisible CA-33 - Los Angeles, California
Indivisible CA-39 - Brea, California
Indivisible California Green Team - California
Indivisible Cayuga - Auburn, New York
Indivisible Chicago Alliance - Chicago, Illinois
Indivisible Clackamas District OR-5 - Milwaukie, Oregon
Indivisible Claremont/Inland Valley - Claremont, California
Indivisible Columbia NY - Chatham, New York
Indivisible Colusa County - Arbuckle, California
Indivisible District 12 - Statesboro, Georgia
Indivisible DuPage - Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Indivisible East Bay - Alameda County, California
Indivisible Elmwood - Berkeley, California
Indivisible Euclid - Berkeley, California
Indivisible Georgia Coalition - Georgia
Indivisible Guilford County - Greensboro, North Carolina
Indivisible Harlem - New York City, New York
Indivisible Hawaii - Hawaii
Indivisible Howard County - Ellicott City, Maryland
Indivisible Hudson Valley - Hudson Valley, New York
Indivisible Huron Valley - Huron Valley, Michigan
Indivisible Illinois - Illinois
Indivisible KC - Kansas City, Missouri
Indivisible Lancaster - Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Indivisible Little Rock and Central Arkansas - Arkansas
Indivisible Lumpkin - Dahlonega, Georgia
Indivisible Madison - Madison, Wisconsin
Indivisible Marin - San Rafael, California
Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition - Massachusetts
Indivisible Media City Burbank - Burbank, California
Indivisible Mendocino - Mendocino, California
Indivisible Missouri - Missouri
Indivisible MN-03 - Minnetrista, Minnesota
Indivisible Mohawk Valley - Utica, New York
Indivisible Nantucket - Nantucket, Massachusetts
Indivisible Napa - Napa, California
Indivisible Nation BK - Brooklyn, New York
Indivisible Normal Heights - San Diego, California
Indivisible Northampton - Northampton, Massachusetts
Indivisible Northern Nevada - Reno, Nevada
Indivisible NWIL Crystal Lake - Crystal Lake, Illinois
Indivisible OH-15 - Grove City, Ohio
Indivisible Oregon - Oregon
Indivisible Outer Cape - Truro, Massachusetts
Indivisible Sacramento - Sacramento, California
Indivisible San Jose - San Jose, California
Indivisible Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, California
Indivisible Scarsdale - Scarsdale, New York
Indivisible SEMO - Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Indivisible SF - San Francisco, California
Indivisible Shawnee - Cobden, Illinois
Indivisible Sonoma County - Sonoma, California
Indivisible South Bay LA - Los Angeles, California
Indivisible South Peninsula - Sunnyvale, California
Indivisible St. Louis - St. Louis, Missouri
Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato - Saint Peter, Minnesota
Indivisible Stephentown - Stephentown, New York
Indivisible Tacoma - Tacoma, Washington
Indivisible TX Lege - Texas
Indivisible Ulster - Kingston, New York
Indivisible Upper East Side - New York, New York
Indivisible Ventura - Ventura, California
Indivisible West Marin - Point Reyes Station, California
Indivisible West Suburban Action League - Riverside, Illinois
Indivisible Western Springs - Western Springs, Illinois
Indivisible Yolo - Yolo County, California
Indivisible: OH-12 East, Licking and Muskingum Counties - Ohio
Inwood Indivisible - New York, New York
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement - Des Moines, Iowa
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 226 - Chattanooga, Tennessee
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 226 - Chattanooga, Tennessee
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 437 - Knoxville, Tennessee
Jersey Girls for Democracy - Trenton, New Jersey
Jobs with Justice of East Tennessee - Knoxville, Tennessee
Knox County Dems in District 9 - Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville-Oak Ridge Area Central Labor Council - Knoxville, Tennessee
Lake Street Speaks - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Larchmont Mamaroneck Indivisible - Mamaroneck, New York
Liberty Neighbor to Neighbor - Liberty, New York
Licking County NAACP - Newark, Ohio
Lift Our Vote - Huntsville, Alabama
Lisle Township Democratic Organization - Lisle Township, Illinois
Live Oak County Democrats - Three Rivers, Texas
LP Indivisible - Detroit, Michigan
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mQKvy0Wc6mV-hPoGEhxu_vYwiJOEJ67lcvOr9dUIkJ0/edit
Mitch McConnell does not give one inch, illustrating with every decision that he is totally partisan, that he will do everything he can do to protect the Republican Party....... country and Constitution and democracy be damned. If he were able to think beyond his nose and his ambition to return to Majority Leader, he could have scored some points with the American people by supporting the For the People Voting Act. It is clear now, as it should have been before, that there is no there there in McConnell when it comes to bipartisanship. Democrats should proceed as rapidly as possible to get any bill they can get passed with budget reconciliation. McConnell will filibuster anything which even remotely threatens a Republican majority. He could care less about the great leading lights of the American Republic, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, nor the great senatorial deal makers and compromisers of the past. He is all about the naked use of power. Period. Unfortunately, McConnell is a very limited person. What is scary is that he may be the best of the leadership that the current Republican Party is capable of. God help us.
If Manchin is an idiot, Sinema needs to be seen for what she is: a troll. She's a "Democrat" who's proud to have more Republican friends in the Senate than friends among her fellow Democrats. She started her political career as a far left Green Democrat self-proclaimed "bomb thrower" who found she could advance herself by claiming friends with Republicans. I personally think she's like most Greens, who can't be trusted further than you can see them with your eyes closed, who are just fine with running Republican-financed campaigns against Democrats as paid "spoilers," that and Russian-paid trolls, like Jill Stein.
Part 2 of 2 (Substack space limitation)
Heather found gold with the Letter of 302 heroic organizations stepping up to speak up to petition Biden and Harris on behalf of the For the People Act. These are the groups for us to join--find our peeps, channel our energy and knowledge into constructive action. There is something for everyone: advocacy, civic, faith and labor groups in 43 states and DC. If we are not already among these 2.5 million Americans working in these organizations, then we need to pick one. Now.
I am loathe to take up a lot of real estate in these posts, but this is a critical list of groups we must support. Are you already with one of them?
(list of M-Z)
Maine Citizens for Clean Elections - Portland, Maine
Maine People's Alliance - Portland, Maine
Mainers for Accountable Leadership - Maine
Mainstream Coalition - Merriam, Kansas
Mary F. Handy Women's Missionary Society - Huntington, West Virginia
Maryland Latinos Unidos - Baltimore, Maryland
Media Voices for Children - Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts
Mi Familia Vota - Phoenix, Arizona
Michigan People's Campaign - Detroit, Michigan
Michigan United - Detroit, Michigan
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action - Parkersburg, West Virginia
Missouri Voter Protection Coalition - Missouri
Mountaintop Progressives - Greene County, New York
National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA Local 59051 - SF, California
National Association of Social Workers - West Virginia chapter - Charleston, West Virginia
National Council of Jewish Women - Greater New Orleans Section - New Orleans, Louisiana
National Council of Jewish Women - PA - Pennsylvania
National Council of Jewish Women - CA - California
National Council of Jewish Women - Cleveland - Cleveland, Ohio
National Council of Jewish Women - Greater New Orleans Section - New Orleans, Louisiana
National Council of Jewish Women - Illinois - Illinois
National Council of Jewish Women - Louisville Section - Louisville ,Kentucky
National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan - Michigan
National Rural Social Work Caucus - Murray, Kentucky
National Council of Jewish Women - Essex Section - Livingston, New Jersey
Necessary Trouble - Atlanta, Georgia
Neighbors Organizing for Power & Equality - Washington, D.C.
Neighbors Who Vote - Chicago, Illinois
Network Delaware - Delaware
New Hampshire Youth Movement - New Hampshire
North Carolina Council of Churches - North Carolina
NorthEast Polk Democratic Club - Davenport, Florida
Northern Progressives - Cook, Minnesota
Northridge Indivisible - Northridge, California
NWGSD - Portland, Oregon
NY Indivisible - New York, New York
NYCD16-Indivisible - Yonkers, New York
Oblong Valley Indivisible - Millerton, New York
Ohio Progressive Action Leaders - Ohio
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition - Huntington, West Virginia
Omaha Action Coalition - Omaha, Nebraska
One Queens Indivisible - Queens County, New York
Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 277 - Nashville, Tennessee
Our Revolution Greater Fall River - Fall River, Massachusetts
Peace Action Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Physicians for a National Health Program - Rhode Island chapter - Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Plymouth Area Indivisible - Plymouth, Minnesota
Poder Latinx - Orlando, Florida
Polk County Democratic Club - Lakeland, Florida
Progress Arizona - Phoenix, Arizona
Progressive Democrats of America - Arizona - Phoenix, Arizona
Progressive Democrats of America - California - Los Angeles, California
Progressive Democrats of America - Central New Mexico - Albuquerque, New Mexico
Progressive Democrats of America - Colorado - Denver, Colorado
Progressive Democrats of America - East Los Angeles County - Whittier, California
Progressive Democrats of America - Maryland - Baltimore, Maryland
Progressive Democrats of America - Nebraska - Omaha, Nebraska
Progressive Democrats of America - Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Progressive Democrats of America - Virginia - Alexandria, Virginia
Progressive Mariposa - Mariposa, California
Progressive Rural Overhill Women for Democracy - Sweetwater, Tennessee
Progressive Yamhill - McMinnville, Oregon
Putnam Progressives - Mahopac, New York
Reclaim Our Democracy - Concord, Massachusetts
Renew Rhode Island - Providence, Rhode Island
Represent Georgia Institute - Atlanta, Georgia
Represent George Action Network - Macon, Georgia
RepresentUs New Mexico - New Mexico
Resist 45 Bremerton - Bremerton, Washington
Rhode Island Democratic Women's Caucus - Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island Healthcare Access & Affordability Partnership - Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Rhode Island Political Cooperative - Providence, Rhode Island
Rights & Democracy - Vermont - Burlington, Vermont
Rights & Democracy - New Hampshire - Manchester, New Hampshire
Rise Up Western Mass Indivisible - Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Rise Up WV - Charleston, West Virginia
Rooted in Resistance - Pasadena, California
Sierra Madre Activists Rebuilding Together - Sierra Madre, California
Silver Spring Progressive Action - Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver State Equality - Nevada
Sister District Marin - Novato, California
SNCC Legacy Project - Washington, D.C.
Sneakers Laced Up South Shore - Marshfield, Massachusetts
SOMA Action - South Orange-Maplewood, New Jersey
Sonoma Valley Resistance - Sonoma, California
South Central Brooklyn United for Progress - Brooklyn, New York
Southern Appalachian Labor School - Kincaid, West Virginia
Stand up Alaska - Anchorage, Alaska
Indivisible Michigan - Michigan
Summit Area Indivisible - Summit, New Jersey
Sunrise Tacoma - Tacoma, Washington
SURJ Marin - Showing UP for Racial Justice - Marin County, California
Swing Left Austin - Austin, Texas
Swing Left Greater Boston - Boston, Massachusetts
Swing Left Marin - San Rafael, California
Swing Left of North and Central New Jersey - New Jersey
Swing Left San Francisco - San Francisco, California
Swing Left Sonoma County - Santa Rosa, California
Swing Left Target Majority NYC - New York, New York
Teamsters Local 519 - Knoxville, Tennessee
Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council - Nashville, Tennessee
The Order of the Phoenix - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Womxn Project - Wakefield, Rhode Island
Tennessee Democratic Party Labor Caucus - Knoxville, Tennessee
Towards Justice Committee, First Unitarian Church of St. Louis - St. Louis, Missouri
Town of Callicoon Democratic Club - Callicoon, New York
Truth and Democracy Coalition - Whittier, California
U-Act (Ulster Activists) - New Paltz, New York
United Vision for Idaho - Boise, Idaho
Upper West Side MoveOn/Indivisible Action Group - New York, New York
Voices of Reason - Normal, Illinois
Wallingford Indivisible - Seattle, Washington
We Are One Sullivan - Sullivan County, New York
Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club - Oakland, California
Westchester United - Hastings on Hudson, New York
Westfield 20/20 - Westfield, New Jersey
Women's Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church - Washington, D.C.
Women of Color Coalition - Multi-state
Writers for Democratic Action - Multi-state
WV Citizen Action - Charleston, West Virginia
WV Citizens for Clean Elections - Charleston, West Virginia
WV FREE - Charleston, West Virginia
Young Democrats of Arizona - Phoenix, Arizona
Advocacy and Awareness Group of Johnson County - Overland Park, Kansas
13 PAGES Indivisible - Oakland, California
159 Georgia Together - Hinesville, Georgia
350 Bay Area Action - San Francisco East Bay, California
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mQKvy0Wc6mV-hPoGEhxu_vYwiJOEJ67lcvOr9dUIkJ0/edit