this year it is hope!
Let’s get to work!
Contact Federal Government Officials
Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu
Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC
********************************
Many
newspapers, including New York Times and Washington
Post require subscriptions, but without one we can see a few articles
each month. We can also check with our
local libraries to find out how to get online access through them.
1.
Congress this week: The Senate will be convening
for a pro-forma session at 4pm on Tuesday (Senate Schedule). We can also check
out the tentative Senate schedule for 2018. Let's make note of the dates on our
own calendars. The House will reconvene next Monday, January 8. From Washington Post via MassLive:
"Congress faces a jam-packed to-do list when it returns this week, with
deadlines looming on difficult issues - including how to fund the government
and avoid a shutdown, stabilizing the nation's health-insurance program for
poor children, and whether to shield young undocumented immigrants from
deportation. Fresh off a party-line vote to overhaul the tax code, the
negotiations will test whether Congress and the White House still have the
potential to craft any form of bipartisan agreement. If so, several of the
year's most contested issues might be resolved with months to spare before the
2018 midterm campaign heats up." Let's get ready to do our part with
calls, letters, emails and, if necessary, marching. Let's prepare ourselves for the upcoming
issues in Congress. Indivisible has a helpful walk-through which discusses what
will happen, and what could happen, when Congress is back in session:
2.
After Christmas, Trump gave an impromptu and
rambling interview at Mar-A-Lago to New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt
which included this chilling authoritarian statement: "I have
absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department.” http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/366743-trump-i-think-mueller-will-treat-me-fairly Here
are some perspectives on the interview:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/29/16829806/trump-interview-new-york-times and http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a14516912/donald-trump-new-york-times-michael-schmidt/ Let’s
start the New Year with communications to our MoC to say that enabling our
unfit dictator-in-training is not good for our republic and we need them to
stand up.
3.
In addition to golfing, Trump also spent time
after the holidays firing the remaining members of the HIV/AIDS Council via
letter:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/12/29/trump-administration-fires-all-members-of-hivaids-advisory-council/?utm_term=.0c6377746b06 Let’s
take a moment to let Trump know that we do not approve of this action: The
White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500 or on
Twitter @POTUS
4.
In an interview, Florida Senator Marco Rubio
said this: “If I were king for a day, this tax bill would have looked
different. I thought we probably went too far on (helping) corporations.”: http://www.news-press.com/story/news/politics/2017/12/28/q-marco-rubio-recalls-fights-child-tax-credit-expansion-win/987296001/ Let’s
remind Senator Rubio that although not king, he did have a role to play in
preventing this disastrous bill from passing: https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
5.
While Mitch McConnell, faced with a new 51-49
split in the Senate once Alabama's Doug Jones is seated, claims to want
“bipartisanship,” Trump insists, as of Friday’stweet, that there “can be
no DACA without the . . . WALL.’ This trade-off is a non-starter with
Democrats, as are Speaker Paul Ryan’s plan to “change”—that is, cut—social
spending programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security and the White House’s
conspicuous unwillingness to include Democrats in developing an infrastructure
program:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/30/us/politics/republicans-congress-bipartisan-senate-house.html
With the stop-gap budget resolution due to end on January 19, Congress
will once again attempt to reach agreement on a 2018 budget. We must urge
Democrats in the House and the Senate to stick to their principles and not
sacrifice the Dreamers to an illusory bipartisanship.
6.
“In what comes as no surprise to Montanans Ryan
Zinke has once again been caught with his hand in the cookie jar misusing
taxpayer dollars for expensive flights. In an expose published in Newsweek
based on information gathered through Freedom of Information Act requests it
has come to light that this time it wasn’t just any taxpayer dollars, these
funds were specifically set aside for fighting wildfires. Even for Secretary
Zinke this is a new low. The biggest punch in the gut is that he was using this
money in his plans to gut National Monuments. The way that Secretary Zinke
evaded this issue is classic Zinke. His spokesperson claimed it was a billing
error when Newsweek caught them. The evidence clearly shows that they tried to
specifically use these funds for these purposes.
https://themontanapost.com/2017/12/29/secretary-zinke-gets-caught-raiding-wildfire-funds-for-expensive-travel/amp/
Let’s ask Sec Zinke to repay those funds and show us he has done so. Tweet him
here, @SecretaryZinke . Call or email here. (202) 208-7351, exsec@ios.doi.gov
7.
Last year saw tangible signs of progress in the
long battle to rescind the President’s blank check to make war and pass a new
authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) in the War on Terror: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/29/congress-vote-authorize-war-islamic-state-240095 We need to keep up the momentum in 2018.
Let’s start the year by contacting our members of Congress and telling them we
want them to support bipartisan efforts to roll back the post-9/11 AUMF and
pass a new one with clear limits in place.
8.
One of the many positive outcomes of Doug Jones’
election to the Senate is that we’re that much closer to blocking the NRA’s
disastrous effort to roll back common-sense gun control laws across the
country: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article189851044.html We need to sure our members of Congress got
the message. Let’s contact our senators and tell them we oppose so-called
“concealed carry reciprocity” and we want them to oppose any effort to bring it
up for a vote and instead pass clean legislation to strengthen the background
check system.
9.
From Loyal
Opposition: Congressional
leaders are meeting Wednesday at the White House to discuss the fate of
#Dreamers & the budget. Make sure
you let your members of Congress know that there can be no deal on government
spending without a fix for Dreamers.
More info on their Twitter thread:
https://twitter.com/TheLoyalO/status/948002826826993664
10. “Nearly
half of Puerto Rico customers still lack power.” http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/366817-nearly-half-of-puerto-rico-customers-still-lack-power-officials-say
Let’s contact our MoC to make sure that
they know that this still remains a priority for us.
11.
After passing their latest stopgap funding bill,
Congress now has until January 19th to work together to pass a
budget http://politi.co/2BJvLpr This
budget must include a clean Dream Act, funding for CHIP, and funding for
healthcare subsidies. If our senator or representative was among those who voted
against the continuing resolution, let's be sure to send our thanks to them. We
can find a list of those who voted against the bill here: https://www.dreamerpledge.org/dream-heroes/
and a "thank you" call script is available at Indivisible: http://bit.ly/2lG51yy If
our MoC voted in favor of the bill, even though it did not include a clean
Dream Act, had only temporary funding for CHIP, and no funding for healthcare
subsidies, let's give them a call to hold them accountable, then tell them we
expect better for this month's vote.
12. The
House of Representatives is on recess until January 8th. This is the time
to make sure that they are meeting with their constituents, receiving feedback
and gaining input from those who they purport to represent. Let's give our reps
a call at their district offices and ask that they hold a townhall before
Congress is back in session. 5calls has a call script we can use to help guide
the conversation:
13. Let’s
remember that it has always been about Russia and that the Trump/Russia connection
is still under investigation and will remain so. While Muller does his work, the Congressional
committees have made farces out of their investigations. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/opinion/republicans-investigation-fusion-gps.html Let’s make sure that we let the committee
member know that we expect them to do a real investigation, that it is time to
stop playing politics and be responsible for our country, not Trump: A) Senate Intelligence Committee members,
B) House
Intelligence Committee members, and C)
Senate Judiciary Committee members
1. Electing
Democrats at all levels of government on November 6, 2018, is our single
most important act of resistance this year. Also important is voting in our
state primaries to choose who will be on the ballot on Nov 6. Let’s: A) Mark
our calendars for general election day November 6, 2018, and B) Mark our
calendars for primary election day. We can find our primary election dates
here: http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2018-state-primary-election-dates.aspx Then, let’s spread the word among our
networks.
2. How
will we make that Blue Wave happen this year? Well, here's a helpful and
important reminder to all of us military and expat folks, from Democrats
Abroad: "Remember - Americans abroad CAN vote in midterm elections. US
Senate and Representative elections are Federal elections that every American
abroad voter is entitled to vote in. Americans abroad CAN make a difference in
these midterms. Every vote counts and even a few votes can swing an election
(or a state legislature!) from red to blue. Finally, please remember that
Americans abroad need to request our ballots every year we’d like to vote. Even
those of us who requested a ballot in December 2017 must request their ballot
again for this calendar year. That way, our ballots will be counted in every
2018 election." Here's a link where we can do so: https://www.votefromabroad.org/vote/home.htm
3. Postcards
to Voters volunteers are already donating time, postage, and postcards or
materials to print and/or craft postcards.
If we're like them, let's keep putting our money back into those things
to reach more voters in more campaigns. If we are not postcarders and want to
support the get-out-the-vote effort, we can make a donation to support Abby,
the address bot, and the Postcards to Voters website. Additionally, any gift
made in an amount ending in 34 cents will be set aside exclusively for the
Postcard Pals Care Packages program. Let's check out the links and details
here: https://postcardstovoters.org/donate/
4. Postcards
to Voters launched campaigns 38, 39, 40 and 41 over the holidays and current
Postcarders (now over 10,000 strong) stepped up with a rousing response. POTUS was golfing; Postcarders were hard at
work. Let's consider joining the team if we haven't already and write 5
postcards to fellow voters. We know that changing minds is not working in
today's political environment. Let's make sure that like-minded Democratic
voters turn out at the polls. Let's join in at Postcards
to Voters. Postcard campaigns are happening right
now!
5. Georgia
has two special elections on Tuesday, January 9. A) Democrat Phyllis Hatcher, who has been
endorsed by US Congressman John Lewis, is running in a Special Election for
Georgia State Senate District 17. She is running against three Republicans
(Brian Strickland, Ed Toney, Nelva Lee). Let’s learn about Hatcher and sign up
to help her get elected:
http://phyllishatcher.com/ .
And if this is our district, let’s be sure to vote for Hatcher on January
9, and B) Democrat El-Mahdi Holly https://www.elforstaterep.com/ and
Democrat Tarji Leonard Dunn (does not appear to have a campaign website) are
running against two Republicans (Geoffrey Cauble and Larry Morey) in a Special
Election for Georgia House of Representatives District 111. If we’re in this
district, let’s make sure to vote for Holly on January 9.
Other Actions
1.
“The
United Nations has asked its member states to observe an Olympic truce during
the upcoming February 9-25 Winter Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and for one
week on either side. South Korea has
asked the United States to delay its war rehearsal flights over South Korea
until after the truce.” Let’s sign this petition
that will be delivered to the government of every nation on earth: https://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=13181
2.
As the
New Year begins, let’s check out these inspiring suggestions from Amnesty International
for ways to make a difference each month of 2018: https://twitter.com/amnesty/status/945701083376168960
3.
“Drawing
on the unfinished work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1967/68 Poor
People’s Campaign, which called for a “revolution of values,” Repairers of the
Breach is working in partnership with the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights,
and Social Justice, the Popular Education Project, and hundreds of local and
national partners, to lead the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for
Moral Revival. This multi-state movement has emerged from more than a decade of
work by grassroots community and religious leaders, organizations, and
movements fighting to end systemic racism, poverty, the war economy,
environmental destruction, and other injustices.” Let’s read more about this and sign up to
help: https://www.breachrepairers.org/poorpeoplescampaign/
4.
The most
important thing we can do this year is elect Democrats to Congress and to state
and local seats. Let’s get started by signing up here https://indivisible.turbovote.org so we
can get election reminders, register to vote (or check on our registration),
and apply for absentee ballots. And let’s share that link far and wide.
5.
We know
that getting people registered to vote and helping people get out to vote are
big items in 2018. Let’s expand the progressive
voter base in advance of November 2018 by holding voter registration drives. We
can learn how using this voter registration guide from Indivisible: https://indivisible435.org/voterregistration
6.
As we
look forward to 2018, gearing up for the challenges ahead, let’s remember all
that we have accomplished together. We can read Suit UpMaine’s roundup of last year’s achievements, as we
get ready to make even more this year! https://www.suitupmaine.org/a-nation-on-notice-election-roundup-november-december-2017/ For
more inspiration, we can see what one state can do in this video by Maine
Persists: https://vimeo.com/249275924
7.
Experts
in authoritarianism advise us to keep a list of things subtly changing around
us, so we’ll remember. Amy Siskind is keeping that list for us. Amy
writes, "In what was expected to be a quiet holiday week, Trump managed to
generate a fair amount of controversy and concern. Along with his regime and
some in the Republican Party, Trump continued to attack, understand, or choose
to accept, the boundaries of his power in our democracy — and
he continues to lie, irreverently. The issue of Trump’s
mental health also resurfaced this week. As Republicans and
Trump’s White House prepare for the wrath of the
American people in 2018 — the Resistance and even their own shrinking
base — Trump seems cocooned from
news and real information. The Mueller probe continues in earnest and is
expanding its focus, just as Trump’s lawyer continue to assure him the
investigation will soon conclude — setting the two on a collision course heading
into 2018." Let's review Amy
Siskind's list week 59.
The Weekly List is currently accepting donations of $25 or less to help with
costs. We can donate here.
8.
This
month will mark eight years since the disastrous Citizens United decision
opened the floodgates for billionaires and big corporations to pour money into
our elections, and we’re seeing unprecedented pushback from people across the
country organizing to overturn it. End Citizens United is aiming to defeat 20
members of Congress who are in the pocket of Big Money and replace them with
pro-campaign finance reform reps, and they’re looking for our help: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/12/05/democratic-pac-end-citizens-united-names-big-money-20-targets-2018/918680001/ Let’s
check out the target list here and consider donating to End Citizens
United or directly to the challengers.
9.
A
coalition of women in Hollywood is seeking to expand the impact of the #MeToo
movement to include blue collar workers with an initiative called TimesUpNow
and are raising money for a legal defense fund: https://www.timesupnow.com Let’s get involved if we are able.
10. Through its Documenting Hate project,
ProPublica has found that there is a national problem in how hate crimes are
handled in law enforcement agencies. The data on hate crimes that is available
is often unreliable, and incomplete. For those of us who report local news
stories though, we can help ensure that our local police departments are
treating hate crimes appropriately. ProPublica details specifically how we can
request information from law enforcement agencies, compare that data to the
FBI's hate crime data, then use that information to ask follow-up
questions https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/hatecrime-data If we are not news reporters or
journalists, but still want to get involved, or if we have been victims of a
hate crime, we can check out the Documenting Hate project and sign up to help
out, or to tell our story https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/hatecrimes
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1. “On
January 21, 2018, Women’s March will gather in Las Vegas, Nevada for Women's
March: Power to the Polls, an event that will launch a national voter
registration tour one year after the historic Women’s March on Washington. This
next stage of the movement will channel the energy and activism of the Women's
March into tangible strategies and concrete wins in 2018.” We can learn more about this march and sister
marches here: http://www.powertothepolls.com/anniversary.html
States
1. DC:
Huge budget cuts crippled outreach that lets people know when, how and where to
sign up for the ACA, so Indivisible ACA Signup Project is spreading the word
through social media. They have 21 days
to get 41 more supporters. We can them
reach their goal to set off a Thunderclap, a social media flash mob message
blast. First, we can click, add our social media support on Twitter, Facebook
and Tumblr. THEN cut, paste and share: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/65572-dc-aca-open-enrollment-alert Find out more about how Thunderclap helps
grassroots organizing here: https://www.socialworkhelper.com/2013/10/02/thunderclap-can-help-grassroots-organizing/amp/
2. CA: Huge budget cuts crippled outreach that lets
people know when, how and where to sign up for the ACA, so Indivisible ACA
Signup Project is spreading the word through social media. They have 22 days to get 34 more
supporters. We can them reach their goal
to set off a Thunderclap, a social media flash mob message blast. First, we can
click, add our social media support on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. THEN cut, paste and share: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/65571-california-enrollment-alert Find out more about how Thunderclap helps
grassroots organizing here:
3. Most
All States: On New Year’s Day,
California’s sanctuary state law officially went into effect, making it the
first state in the country to limit local and state law enforcement cooperation
with federal immigration enforcement: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/California-Makes-History-as-Nations-First-Sanctuary-State-467598433.html
It’s time for more communities to follow
suit. Let’s contact our governors, state legislators and local officials to
ask them what they plan to do to extend sanctuary status to our hometowns and
states in 2018.
Reading/Watching
1.
As we go into this new year, let’s remember “The political lesson of 2017: resistance
works” - https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/28/16812036/resistance-gop-tax-plan-obamacare
2.
“Donald Trump’s Greatest Accomplishment: The
Awakening “- https://www.newsandguts.com/donald-trumps-greatest-accomplishment-awakening/
3.
“Feeling Burned Out? When We Gather, We Get
Energized “ -
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