Rogan's List

7/19/17

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1. Thanks to three senators speaking up, it appears there will not be enough votes to achieve a repeal of the ACA.  http://www.npr.org/2017/07/18/537921805/mcconnell-backup-plan-to-repeal-affordable-care-act-falters Let’s thank those senators who wanted to see something better for their constituents.  1) Shelly Capito (R-WV):  https://www.capito.senate.gov/contact/office-locations, 2) Susan Collins (R-ME):  https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact, and 3) Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact

2. While it seems over, it is not. Just because we cannot see ANY logic in going this route does not mean it is not going to happen. “Despite the fact that it doesn't look like Republicans have the votes at the moment, McConnell announced Tuesday night on the Senate floor that Republicans would hold a procedural vote on the health care bill "early next week." http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/politics/mcconell-repreal-and-replace-obamacare-not-successful  So, we need to keep calling, writing letters, sending faxes and tweets to our Senators. We need to keep attending protests and also contacting friends and family with Republican Senators to ask them to keep the pressure up. McConnell is very backed into a corner and we cannot presume what rabbits he might pull out of a hat and we know we can’t trust him with a better healthcare plan for everyone. 

3. Russia is putting more and more pressure on Trump to reverse some of Obama’s actions to punish them for hacking our election. (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-18/russia-demands-u-s-return-properties-as-talks-reach-no-deal) Trump has proven as clearly as possible that he cannot be trusted when it comes to Russia. We need Congress to make sure he doesn’t let them off the hook. A nearly unanimous Senate voted for a bill that would allow Capitol Hill to step in if Trump tries to remove sanctions on Russia, but House Republicans have been stalling it. Let’s call our members of Congress and tell them we want them to do everything in their power to pass this measure as soon as possible.

4. House Republicans rolled out their budget plan today, and it’s a disaster for regular Americans. It helps them move forward with their plans to cut taxes for the wealthy by letting Americans go hungry, allows them to cut Medicare, and sets them up to repeal crucial Obama-era limits on Wall Street so that the millionaires and billionaires who wrecked our economy can run wild again. (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN1A228B) Let’s contact our members of Congress and tell them that if they expect our votes next November, we expect them to vote no on a budget that helps the 1% of the expense of everyone else.

5. Do all roads lead to Kushner? Possibly. Thankfully more are calling into question the legitimacy of him having security clearance for classified information:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-democrats-ask-for-kushner-security-clearance-review/  Please let your Members of Congress know that Kushner has abused the privilege far too much and to keep the pressure on for a review of Kushner's security clearance. 

6. The Trump Administration wants to use the UN climate fund for new coal plants  http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/342077-trump-aims-to-use-un-climate-fund-for-coal-plants-report  Let's tell UN Ambassador Nikki Haley that we oppose this idea: Nikki Haley, US Mission to the UN, 799 United Nations Plaza, New York NY 10017.
   
   
7. The National Monument review continues with the Davidson Seamont Monument off the coast of Monterey CA and three other unique marine sanctuaries and monuments. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/article/NE/20170701/NEWS/170709970 We have until July 26 to submit public comments. We can do so at this link from  regulation.gov and click "comment now"  https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NOS-2017-0066.  We can also send letters; however, July 26 is coming up quickly! Write to: NOAA, SSMC4-11th fl, 1305 East-West Hwy, Silver Springs MD 20910. Let's be sure to include this information on our letters and envelopes: Re: EO 13795, Docket ID#NOAA-NOS-2017-0066.

8. At the end of June, the House Appropriations Committee approved by voice vote Rep. Barbara Lee’s amendment to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force: http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/29/politics/house-panel-repeal-war-authorization-isis-al-qaeda/index.html Lee has fought, largely alone, against the post-9/11 “endless war.”  We need to join her and tell our representatives that it’s time support Lee’s amendment in the House and get rid of the AUMF. Since Bush, presidents have used the AUMF to justify warrantless surveillance, indefinite detention, and the lethal use of drones. We don’t want to give a blank check to this president!

9. While the End Racial Profiling Act of 2017 has 73 cosponsors in the House and 27 in the Senate, it has been stuck in committee since early February and March http://bit.ly/2tcshqr Let's give our MoC a call to let them know that we want them to support H.R. 1498 and S. 411. We can also call the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to let them know that we want to see both bills move forward https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members https://judiciary.house.gov/subcommittee/full-committee/
   
   
10. There are reports that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans on closing the Office of Global Criminal Justice, which focuses on policies to address war crimes and genocide http://atfp.co/2u2iXH1 Let's contact Tillerson to let him know we oppose the closing of the OGCJ  202-647-000https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520

11. Many on the left feel that the time is right to be on the offensive politically rather than staying on the defensive.  Roy Cooper, current governor of North Carolin, is showing how it can be done.  http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/18/can-roy-cooper-show-democrats-how-to-win-again-215386 Let’s let our Democratic/Independent MoCs and those we know running for office that they have a guide in Cooper.

12. S. 1460 (Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017), the massive energy bill being rushed through the Senate. It’s opposed by conservation, water, farming, and even industry groups because it increases our country’s dependence on fossil fuels. https://www.bna.com/democrats-caught-green-n73014461860/ Let’s call our senators asking them to oppose this outdated bill and focus on clean, renewable energy. 

13. Last week, a military plane crashed in Mississippi resulting in 16 deaths.  http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2017/07/10/plane-crashes-leflore-county/466582001/  When a tragedy like this occurs, the sitting president traditionally goes to the scene to console the families.  Trump tweeted.  Let’s tell Trump that these military families deserve so much more than 140 characters: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

State Actions

1. CO:  In the wake of CO's secretary of state Wayne Williams agreeing to share public voter information with the so-called "Election Integrity Commission," over 3700 CO voters have pulled their registrations. "Of the voters who have withdrawn their registrations, 88 percent are either Democrats or unaffiliated voters—54.5 percent Democrats and 33.5 percent unaffiliated voters. Just 9.8 percent of the withdrawn registrations came from Republicans."http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/politics/88-percent-of-colorado-voter-registration-withdrawals-are-from-democrats-unaffiliated-votersWe think that this is precisely the effect that Kobach, known for his involvement in voter suppression schemes, was going for. Disenfranchising ourselves is never a good idea. Let's stay registered!

2. MI:  Voters Not Politicians has begun a campaign to educate state voters how voting maps are created and the resulting problems.  They want to collect signatures on a petition to get a redistricting question on the 2018 ballot.  However, after following all the rules and guidelines, they are still awaiting the okay from the state to start collecting signatures.  These are generally reviewed and approved within 24 hours.  It has been 19 days.  If we are a Michigan resident, we can sign our name here to get information and find out how we can get involved in the petition drive:  http://www.votersnotpoliticians.com/7182017_michigandersdemandchange

Other Actions

1. We should be aware that the perhaps intentional sloppiness of the White House administration extends to the data we share with them: last week, emails from concerned citizens to the so-called "Election Integrity Commission" headed by Kris Kobach were made public. "But the administration made a big mistake: It didn’t censor any of the personal information — such as names, email addresses, actual addresses, and phone numbers — included in those emails." http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-white-house-security-voters-outrage-data-personal-information-election-integrity-a7842566.html. Let's continue to speak up but *protect ourselves* by not including addresses, phone numbers, or place of employment in the content of our emails. Let's also not submit any extra personal information that isn't required.

2. The GOP has a new survey for us entitled “Listening to America”.  As usual, it is pretty slanted with some leading questions.  Oh, and it doesn’t mention healthcare at all so let’s be sure to add that in the comment section at the end.  Let’s help them out:  https://gop.com/listening-to-america-surveys/

3.       This summer, Our Revolution, an American progressive political action organization spun out of Senator Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign to continue its work  is focusing on the People's Platform; eight House bills which embody progressive ideals. The goal is to have the majority of Democratic House members cosponsoring each bill by the end of the summer recess.  We are being asked to sign on as citizen co-sponsors.  Let’s learn more about this and sign:  http://unityfeed.com/doc/12310/the-summer-for-progress?grp_id=0

4. Last week, we learned about the former GOP member who turned Democrat.  In this piece, he tells us why.  http://www.chicagonow.com/politics-now/2017/07/what-the-democrats-have-that-was-attractive-to-this-ex-gop/ Maybe we should share this with some of our conservative friends who may be moving closer to the fence.

5. Run for Something is an organization that supports under-35 year old progressives running for office. https://www.runforsomething.net/ Let’s take a look and see how we can help or share this info with someone who wants to run. 

Petitions

1. Let’s join Friends of the Earth in telling our senators not to gut the Endangered Species Act and clear the path for the Keystone XL:  http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=22050

2. SumOfUs wants us to sign a petition telling American denim companies in China to stop contributing to the pollution in China:  https://actions.sumofus.org/a/it-s-time-to-put-a-stop-the-the-denim-industry-s-dirty-secrets

Marches/events to attend/organize

1. No Labels is an American political organization based in the United States, composed of Republicans, Democrats, and independents, whose mission is to "usher in a new era of focused problem solving in American politics. On July 19th at 7:00 pm EDT, No Labels strategist Ryan Clancy will be hosting a conference call to discuss our urgent efforts to support the growing Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress. It’s a pivotal moment for both No Labels and the Caucus as there is growing support from inside and outside Washington for bipartisanship as the only way out of this mess, on issues ranging from healthcare, to the budget and the debt ceiling. These next few months may well decide whether this Congress can get anything done and No Labels is working every day to ensure they do.  Let’s click her to RSVP:  http://action.nolabels.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=22850

Reading/Watching

1. A stirring read from Rebecca Solnit about personal and political space: https://harpers.org/archive/2017/07/occupied-territory/

2. Dan Friedman from Mother Jones tells us how Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is creating his own narrative: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/07/how-chuck-grassley-is-creating-an-alternative-trump-russia-investigation/

3. Here is an excerpt from Nancy MacLean’s “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America”: http://billmoyers.com/story/book-democracy-in-chains-far-right/

                       

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2016 election, are sharing daily or weekly calls to action.

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