9/27/2020 - ACB's nomination, Trump's endgame, some reasons for optimism and VOTE
Friends,
First of all, give. Now. It's crass, it's gross but it's necessary. Until Citizens United is struck down this is the sadly the playing field we've been given. And play we must. If ever there was a time to dig deep, it is now.
Presidential:
Joe and Kamala give here
Key Senate races:
Alaska: Dr. Al Gross give here
Iowa: Theresa Greenfield give here
Maine: Sara Gideon give here
Montana: Steve Bullock give here
North Carolina: Cal Cummingham give here
South Carolina: Jamie Harrison give here
What a week! The tears have barely dried since RBG left us that her "replacement", ACB, has been nominated for the highest court in the land. I know all of you are active readers and have a sense of the compare/contrast between these two jurists, but suffice it to say that Amy Coney Barrett's youth (48) and philosophical underpinnings (Scalia without any empathy or acknowledgement that we now live in the 21st century) will severely damage the rights of so many of the groups of which are in desperate need of protection: women; people of color; those who identify as LGBTQ; and shall we say all Americans who can't afford health care? Good bye, ACA. I'm still waiting for the big, beautiful health care plan that was promised us in 2016. I'm not holding my breath.
Let's not fool ourselves or conjure up the word "hope" to describe the events likely to unfold in the coming days, weeks and months. Assume that there are no guardrails protecting our democracy with the exception of one - the vote. Even with feverish efforts on the part of the President and his red-state sycophants, if turnout is high among registered Democrats and Independents then there will be a blue wave at every level of government. But if citizens are feeling apathetic, depressed, fearful, uninvested, disinterested or lazy, then it will solidify the oppression and disenfranchisement of many by the few. And these people will have no one to blame but themselves. If we want to change the rules and the approach of elected leadership, there is only one way to do so: win the game. For those who think a red victory is what's needed to embolden the fence-sitters and foment real change, I'm pretty sure that they haven't lived in an authoritarian regime where a small entrenched group controls the government, the courts, the media and the military. This isn't the 1960s - we have a soulless, narcissistic, enabled wanna-be-strongman that only cares about enriching himself and his cronies, and then to walk away and let it burn. Whoever doesn't think this is the game plan hasn't been paying attention or refuses to let these horrific feelings in, which I totally understand. But that doesn't mean that's not Trump's endgame - it almost certainly is.
Let me reiterate that RBG had it right:
Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
I do want to share something that makes me incredibly excited - the smart, energetic, empathetic, diverse group of young people running for office. Yesterday Carin and I held a(n) (outdoors and social-distanced) fund-raiser for a young woman running for Congress in our district NJ-4 named Stephanie Schmid. She embodies so much of what we believe is necessary to put our country on a better track, and the enthusiasm for her vision and plans was palpable. She was joined by two Assemblypeople in the area who share her views and came out to lend their support, Joann Downey and Eric Houghtaling. Stephanie is working to topple a 40-year redder than red Trump-loving incumbent who hasn't held a town hall in 27 years, and if you want to help Stephanie flip the seat you can give to her here.
Be well my friends. I know these times are hard, so very hard for so many. But it is our collective efforts that give us the chance to win the game and to make a new set of rules, ones that are more inclusive, caring, practical and grounded in the belief that we need to invest in our futures and that of our planet. While the rhetoric is so often framed as either/or, I do not believe this to be the case. In fact, I know it is not. We can come together and build a win-win-win, good for our planet, our country and our families. 37 days to go. Make them count.
I love you.
Roger