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You are here: Home / Organizing & Resistance / Vive La Resistance / Harmony and me, pretty good company

Harmony and me, pretty good company

by DougJ|  February 18, 20172:07 pm| 101 Comments

This post is in: Vive La Resistance

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Here’s the thing about protesting Congressional Republicans: yes, some will handle it well, and good for them when they do.

In North Harmony, N.Y., Representative Tom Reed confronted what felt like interminable jeers, navigating hostile questions about abortion rights, efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and potential conflicts of interest for Mr. Trump. The crowd at a senior center was so large that the event was moved to the parking lot outside. Chants of “Do your job!” rang out.

“What I have heard is passion,” Mr. Reed said. “What I have heard is democracy.”

BUT…most are safe-zone-loving snowflakes who will cancel their town halls, ignore their phone calls, and hunker down in their bubble. And most will be scared, I don’t mean of violence, I mean just generally scared (some of you may lack lack the level of neurosis necessary to understand this), and mind fuck is a big part of politics.

Anger can be power. Some people are skilled enough to defuse it, but most people just back down or run away scared.

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Reader Interactions

101Comments

  1. 1.

    rikyrah

    February 18, 2017 at 2:08 pm

    I enjoy stories like this ??

  2. 2.

    schrodingers_cat

    February 18, 2017 at 2:09 pm

    Is Mr. Reed a Republican?

  3. 3.

    Gordon Schumway

    February 18, 2017 at 2:09 pm

    Do you know that you can use it?

  4. 4.

    DougJ

    February 18, 2017 at 2:10 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Yes

  5. 5.

    Baud

    February 18, 2017 at 2:12 pm

    @DougJ: Hopefully, he hears democracy in November 2018.

  6. 6.

    jharp

    February 18, 2017 at 2:12 pm

    I’m stating to think that the Russians have some pretty serious dirt on a fair number of Republicans.

    And that is the reason they are letting Trump get away with his clown act.

  7. 7.

    Smedley the uncertain

    February 18, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    That’s my rep too. SAD We lost a lot when they rejiggered our district into his and we got that Paladino fan boy.

    Cheers

  8. 8.

    oldster

    February 18, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    I feel mixed about this (and Reed is my rep.)

    On the one hand, I appreciate his willingness to meet with constituents at a time when most Republicans are running away and refusing to listen.

    On the other hand, this is mighty low bar to set for elected representatives. Listening to their constituents is their damned job. It’s what they’re supposed to do. What do they want, a cookie?

    Furthermore, Reed scheduled all of these way out in what he thinks of as the ‘safe’ part of his district–the deep red area that was cobbled together to dilute whose wicked communists around Cornell University in Ithaca. It’s a 3.5 hour drive from the east side of his district, where the majority of the voters live, to the rural towns where he held these meetings. He was banking on only the reliable local Trump-lovers showing up.

    He was wrong. Lots of locals showed up, and they don’t like Trump either.

    So, yes, I’m glad he is not screaming “paid protestor! Acorn! New Black Panthers!”

    But how much credit am I obliged to give him?

  9. 9.

    Kenneth Kohl

    February 18, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    Well, our NY-27 “snowflake”, Chris Collins is pretty sure he won’t be holding any town halls … because..

    His spokesman released this little gem; it’s wording sounds familiar…

    “The left-wing activists, many of which reside outside of NY-27, organizing these publicity stunts will never be satisfied, despite having multiple opportunities to share their message. The fact is only three months ago, voters in NY-27 overwhelming elected Congressman Collins with 68 percent of the vote, and voted to elect Donald Trump by a 25 percentage margin over Hillary Clinton.”

    Good grief

  10. 10.

    Baud

    February 18, 2017 at 2:17 pm

    @Kenneth Kohl: With numbers like those, what is he scared of?

  11. 11.

    germy

    February 18, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    I distinctly remember Elizabeth Warren being verbally abused by a RWNJ at one of her campaign stops. She listened to his remarks and answered his demented questions. She didn’t scurry away.

  12. 12.

    Frankensteinbeck

    February 18, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    And most will be scared, I don’t mean of violence, I mean just generally scared

    This might be why they haven’t used Trump as a cover while they pass their fuck-minorities-and-the-New-Deal agenda. Something has to explain why almost nothing has gotten through congress.

    @jharp:

    And that is the reason they are letting Trump get away with his clown act.

    Maybe, but I doubt it’s necessary. I’ve never seen reason to believe the elected Republicans are all that much different than their constituents, which would mean they’re really god damn pissed we elected a black man, and loathe giving liberals any victory to the bottom of their soul.

  13. 13.

    jhtrotter

    February 18, 2017 at 2:28 pm

    Hey Doug, does Louise get a pass for not showing up?

  14. 14.

    Catherine D.

    February 18, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    @oldster:

    He apparently showed up at his Ithaca office where the Catholic Workers were staging a sit-in, but I don’t see him doing a town hall here.

    Brave Sir Robin

  15. 15.

    James Powell

    February 18, 2017 at 2:33 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    I’ve never seen reason to believe the elected Republicans are all that much different than their constituents, which would mean they’re really god damn pissed we elected a black man, and loathe giving liberals any victory to the bottom of their soul.

    Yeah, I go back and forth over whether the Republicans are just cynical assholes who manipulate the ignorant, hateful, bigoted morons or whether they themselves are ignorant, hateful, bigoted morons. Hard to tell.

  16. 16.

    Cacti

    February 18, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    @James Powell:

    Yeah, I go back and forth over whether the Republicans are just cynical assholes who manipulate the ignorant, hateful, bigoted morons or whether they themselves are ignorant, hateful, bigoted morons. Hard to tell.

    I would say a mix of both.

  17. 17.

    Nappy

    February 18, 2017 at 2:39 pm

    Ah, an Elton John reference from DougJ

  18. 18.

    Big Ole Hound

    February 18, 2017 at 2:40 pm

    @jharp: I think you right, including Trump. As soon as we make them realize the meddling will do little good they will let the world know these secrets.

  19. 19.

    Frankensteinbeck

    February 18, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    @James Powell:
    It’s not binary, or even totally contradictory. Think of Trump as the distilled center of the Republican Party (which is how he got the nomination). He’s the pure example – racist as Hell, pathologically insecure, spiteful, deeply corrupt, dumb as a rock with no desire to be anything else, and convinced he’s a mastermind manipulating all the rubes when in fact he’s getting by on luck and cheap intimidation tactics you see in any alcoholic family. The base and the officials are all somewhere in the area of that. To get elected, you usually have to be enough smarter to manage charming rhetoric, but that’s not a high bar to clear if you’re an asshole who only cares about appearances. So, most of these elected officials do think they’re fleecing the rubes, just because they’re in the position to exercise the corruption their base would eagerly exercise if they could. Taking advantage of people is how they think the world works. But at the same time, they basically agree with their constituents, and they’re using their positions to grift off of what they want to do anyway. They hate the poor (who are probably brown) and want to grind them, so they got a job where Galtian jackasses will pay them big bucks for the privilege. They stir up their mob with lies, but they believe those lies at the same level their base does, that it’s morally true and fuck you, libtards. Keeping their personal power and keeping white power are inextricably tied together, and they don’t have to choose. And so on. The GOP is the party of Your Racist Uncle stereotypes.

  20. 20.

    James Powell

    February 18, 2017 at 2:51 pm

    To get elected, you usually have to be enough smarter to manage charming rhetoric, but that’s not a high bar to clear if you’re an asshole who only cares about appearances.

    True. Although his image is being improved by comparison with the current resident, this pretty much describes George W Bush. We must never forget that without the Bush/Cheney Junta of 2000, we wouldn’t have Roberts & Alito. And we probably wouldn’t have Trump. This disaster did not happen overnight.

  21. 21.

    DougJ

    February 18, 2017 at 2:51 pm

    @jhtrotter:
    No

  22. 22.

    Frankensteinbeck

    February 18, 2017 at 2:51 pm

    @jharp: and @Big Ole Hound:
    Why? I see no reason Russia will out Trump or any of the Republicans as long as they do what Russia wants. From Putin’s standpoint, this operation is already a runaway success, so there isn’t even spite as a reason to turn on his loyal minions. Putin doesn’t give a damn if Trump is popular or Russia’s complicity is exposed. Hell, Trump’s failures just undermine the American system more, and that was his goal.

  23. 23.

    Redshift

    February 18, 2017 at 2:52 pm

    @James Powell: It’s a feedback loop; they feed on each other in a hermetically sealed bubble that keeps out reality.

  24. 24.

    Gretchen

    February 18, 2017 at 2:52 pm

    My rep here in Kansas only let 4 people at a time in to talk to him in December, with police inside monitoring. The line was out the door, down the street and around the corner. I waited an hour and didn’t get in. The people in line weren’t there to tell him he’s doing a great job.
    Meanwhile, here’s the guy running for Mike Pompeo’s seat as a Democrat. They’ve got a team out door-knocking this morning.http://www.votejamesthompson.com/join?splash=1

  25. 25.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    February 18, 2017 at 2:52 pm

    @jharp:

    And that is the reason they are letting Trump get away with his clown

    Maybe, I can’t imagine them doing anything before the end of Trump’s honeymoon.

  26. 26.

    Gretchen

    February 18, 2017 at 2:53 pm

    I called my rep’s office yesterday to ask if they’re planning any meetings next week. She didn’t know.

  27. 27.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    February 18, 2017 at 2:54 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Putin doesn’t give a damn if Trump is popular or Russia’s complicity is exposed. Hell, Trump’s failures just undermine the American system more, and that was his goal.

    Ah, but this could quite easily blow up in Russia’s face if Trump is a disaster and Russia gets the blame for it. Cold War II with America seriously out for blood.

  28. 28.

    Redshift

    February 18, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    Mark Sanford apparently had a 3 1/2 hour town hall today, staying until he’d talked to everyone who was willing to stay. (They moved it outside after the first hour for the crowd that couldn’t fit in the auditorium.)

  29. 29.

    John Revolta

    February 18, 2017 at 2:56 pm

    @Baud: what is he scared of?

    “Outside agitators”, what else?

  30. 30.

    Frankensteinbeck

    February 18, 2017 at 2:56 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:
    Putin thinks that’s already happening, and that he’s getting in the first strike by fucking over our system so badly we won’t be able to oppose him. He’s a paranoid, power-mad asshole who never stopped thinking like a KGB agent.

  31. 31.

    efgoldman

    February 18, 2017 at 3:02 pm

    Some people are skilled enough to defuse it, but most people just back down or run away scared.

    Their greatest fear isn’t of actual harm (although, like all bullies, they’re cowards). It’s being whipsawed between their primary-voter base, which will vote for an equally or even more “conservative” candidate, and losing in the general because of widespread voter anger. There are enough Dems or Dem-leaning people in a lot of these districts – IF they come out to vote – to defeat at least some of these turds.
    Remember their Prime Directive: “Must. Get. Re-elected.”

  32. 32.

    efgoldman

    February 18, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    I can’t imagine them doing anything before the end of Trump’s honeymoon.

    If this is the honeymoon….

  33. 33.

    Mike J

    February 18, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    What time does Aló Presidente come on today?

  34. 34.

    Frankensteinbeck

    February 18, 2017 at 3:08 pm

    @efgoldman:
    Even that might not be necessary. They have a bully mentality, which means they only feel good when they feel they have overwhelming odds on their side. Being surrounded by people who angrily disagree, especially in what’s supposed to be their place of power, must scare them to the point of losing bladder control.

  35. 35.

    m.j.

    February 18, 2017 at 3:13 pm

    ” Mr. Reed said. “What I have heard is democracy.”

    Mr. Reed said later, this was something he never wanted to hear again.

  36. 36.

    hovercraft

    February 18, 2017 at 3:27 pm

    @James Powell:

    Yeah, I go back and forth over whether the Republicans are just cynical assholes who manipulate the ignorant, hateful, bigoted morons or whether they themselves are ignorant, hateful, bigoted morons. Hard to tell.

    I think many of them started out as cynical manipulators, but many of them came to believe the nonsense they were spouting, keep repeating he shit long enough and you start to believe it. Those who were cynically using the morans, but didn’t come across as true believers were purged and replaced by actual nutjobs.
    The Mitch McTurtles of the world are manipulators, but they get away with it because they get credit for their pure evil and their ability to piss off and thwart democrats.

  37. 37.

    Chet Murthy

    February 18, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    @Big Ole Hound: Let’s assume that Putin has the dirt on the Rs. Unless Dampnut literally starts doing things that are bad for Putin, why woiuld he release that dirt? Putin wins merely be helping the US be in disarray. The US’ descent into chaos, the descent of the Western Alliance into chaos, is his gain.

    No, I don’t think the Russkies will release that dirt, unless Trump really turns on ’em. And I don’t see that happenin’. Man’s a coward.

  38. 38.

    Aleta

    February 18, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    Reuters: http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN15X0OE

    …
    The FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, which runs many cyber security investigations, is trying to identify the people behind breaches of the Democratic National Committee’s computer systems. …
    The Pittsburgh case has progressed furthest, but Justice Department officials in Washington believe there is not enough clear evidence yet for an indictment, two of the sources said.

    Meanwhile the bureau’s San Francisco office is trying to identify the people who called themselves “Guccifer 2” and posted emails stolen from Clinton campaign manager John Podesta’s account, the sources said. Those emails contained details about fundraising by the Clinton Foundation and other topics.

    Beyond the two FBI field offices, FBI counterintelligence agents based in Washington are pursuing leads from informants and foreign communications intercepts, two of the people said.

    This counterintelligence inquiry includes but is not limited to examination of financial transactions by Russian individuals and companies who are believed to have links to Trump associates. The transactions under scrutiny involve investments by Russians in overseas entities that appear to have been undertaken through middlemen and front companies, two people briefed on the probe said. …

  39. 39.

    hovercraft

    February 18, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    @efgoldman:

    If this is the honeymoon….

    He’s still at 88% with republicans, so yes this is still his honeymoon.
    35% with independents and 9% with democrats, so with the rest of us, not so much.
    SAD !

  40. 40.

    Aleta

    February 18, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    Reuters: http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN15X0OE

    During a news conference Thursday, President Donald Trump said he had no business connections to Russia.

    The people who spoke to Reuters* also corroborated a Tuesday New York Times report that Americans with ties to Trump or his campaign had repeated contacts with current and former Russian intelligence officers before the November election. Those alleged contacts are among the topics of the FBI counterintelligence investigation.

    * ” five current and former government officials with direct knowledge of the situation”

  41. 41.

    Renie

    February 18, 2017 at 3:35 pm

    @Aleta: The FBI needs to move a little quicker before trump destroys everything. There’s a guy on twitter – Adam Khan @Khanoisseur – who keeps writing about all the trump connections to Russia. If this guy figured it out, how hard can it be for the FBI?

  42. 42.

    JMG

    February 18, 2017 at 3:36 pm

    Reed is I am sure a retrograde typical horrible House Republican, but this also shows he has a modicum of gumption and also some good sense. In the most crass political terms, being receptive to protesters as he was makes them much less likely to show up at your next public gathering. It’s the runners who’ll be chased.

  43. 43.

    ? Martin

    February 18, 2017 at 3:39 pm

    My Saturday morning ‘write to my elected officials’ just finished. Took 4 hours today. I have to find a better way to do this.

    Increased focus today on California legislation:

    AB-3:

    This bill would require the department or a nonprofit organization contracting with the department, as provided, to issue requests for proposal and issue grants to qualified legal services projects, qualified support centers, or county offices of the public defender that meet specified requirements, to expand their programs in order to serve as regional centers legal services agencies capable of providing legal training, written materials, mentoring, and technical assistance to county offices of the public defender in this state on issues relating to the immigration consequences of criminal convictions. The bill would also require the department or contracted nonprofit organization, as provided, to issue requests for proposal and issue grants to qualified legal services projects, qualified support centers, or county offices of the public defender that meet specified requirements, that can act as a statewide resource center to the regional centers legal services agencies and county offices of the public defender to provide these regional centers legal services agencies and offices with ongoing training, written materials, mentoring, and technical assistance, and to coordinate a statewide collaborative to ensure efficient delivery of high quality legal services.

    This bill would additionally require the department or contracted nonprofit organization, as provided, to issue requests for proposal and issue grants to county offices of public defenders for those offices to secure new tools to enable their attorneys to competently represent noncitizen defendants in current cases and obtain relief for prior invalid convictions, as provided, and for those offices to enable deputy public defenders and paralegals to assist nonprofit organizations and private immigration attorneys serving noncitizens in removal proceedings with locating, collecting, and copying legal documents relating to the noncitizen’s prior criminal case.

    SB-6:

    This bill would require the department to either contract with qualified nonprofit legal services organizations, or contract with a nonprofit agency to administer funding to nonprofit legal services organization subcontractors, to provide legal services to individuals in removal proceedings who are not otherwise entitled to legal representation under an existing local, state, or federal program. The bill would authorize the department to prioritize the award of contracts to provide legal services to detained individuals in removal proceedings and would also authorize the department to prioritize the award of contracts to qualified nonprofit legal services organizations that also receive county or city funding to provide legal services to individuals in removal proceedings. The bill would require the contracts awarded pursuant to this act to meet certain conditions. The bill would also authorize the department to contract with organizations to provide legal training and technical assistance to qualified nonprofit legal services organizations, to provide postconviction relief services to immigrants, and to provide case coordination and placement services to ensure that all individuals in removal proceedings receive representation in a timely fashion. The bill would establish the California Universal Representation Trust Fund to accept donations from private foundations and other philanthropic entities for the purpose of expanding the number of individuals that may be provided legal services pursuant to these provisions. The bill would appropriate an unspecified sum from the General Fund to the department, and would require the department to adopt emergency regulations, for the purpose of implementing these provisions.

    SB-31:

    This bill would prohibit a state or local agency or a public employee acting under color of law from providing or disclosing to the federal government personally identifiable information regarding a person’s religious affiliation beliefs, practices, or affiliation, as specified, when the information is sought for compiling a database of individuals based solely on religious affiliation. belief, practice or affiliation, national origin, or ethnicity for law enforcement or immigration purposes. The bill would also prohibit a state agency from using agency resources to assist with any government program compiling such a database, or from making state databases available in connection with an investigation or enforcement under such a program. The bill would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from collecting personally identifiable information on the religious beliefs, practices, or affiliation of any individual, except as part of a targeted investigation, or where necessary to provide religious accommodations. The bill would also prohibit law enforcement agencies from using agency or department moneys, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any criminal, civil, or administrative violation, or warrant for a violation, of any requirement that individuals register with the federal government or any federal agency based on religion, national origin, or ethnicity. The bill would also terminate, to the extent of any conflict, any existing agreements that make any agency or department information or database available in conflict with these provisions.

    SB-54:

    This bill would, among other things, prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies and school police and security departments from using resources to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect, report, or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes, or to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any federal program requiring registration of individuals on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or national or ethnic origin, as specified. The bill would require require, within 6 months after the effective date of the bill, state agencies to review their confidentiality policies and identify any changes necessary to ensure that information collected from individuals is limited to that necessary to perform agency duties and is not used or disclosed for any other purpose, as specified. The bill would require public schools, hospitals, and courthouses to establish and make public policies that limit immigration enforcement on their premises and The bill would require require, within 3 months after the effective date of the bill, the Attorney General, in consultation with appropriate stakeholders, to publish model policies for use by those entities for those purposes. The bill would also require, within 3 months after the effective date of the bill, the Attorney General to publish model contractual provisions for all state agencies that partner with private vendors for data collection purposes to ensure that those vendors comply with the confidentiality policies, as specified. The bill would require all public schools, health facilities operated by the state or a political subdivision of the state, courthouses, and shelters to implement the model policy, or an equivalent policy. The bill would state that all other organizations and entities that provide services related to physical or mental health and wellness, education, or access to justice, including the University of California, are encouraged to adopt the model policy.

    So, two bills related to legal representation for those being deported (direct representation plus training of DA, attorneys), one that would make it illegal to help with any federal data collection on religious affiliation, one that would turn California into a sanctuary state making it illegal to help with feds for identifying undocumented immigrants.

    We also have SB 562:

    SECTION 1. This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Californians for a Healthy California Act.
    SEC. 2. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
    (1) All residents of this state have the right to health care. While the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act brought many improvements in health care and health care coverage, it still leaves many Californians without coverage or with inadequate coverage.
    (2) Californians, as individuals, employers, and taxpayers have experienced a rise in the cost of health care and health care coverage in recent years, including rising premiums, deductibles, and copays, as well as restricted provider networks and high out-of-network charges.
    (3) Businesses have also experienced increases in the costs of health care benefits for their employees, and many employers are shifting a larger share of the cost of coverage to their employees or dropping coverage entirely.
    (4) Individuals often find that they are deprived of affordable care and choice because of decisions by health benefit plans guided by the plan’s economic needs rather than consumers’ health care needs.
    (5) To address the fiscal crisis facing the health care system and the state, and to ensure Californians can exercise their right to health care, comprehensive health care coverage needs to be provided.
    (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would establish a comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage program and a health care cost control system for the benefit of all residents of the state.

    So this isn’t a plan for single-payer, but it lays the foundation for it. It establishes that California residents have a right to health care and compels the legislature to develop a single payer program.

    California previously passed a law extending Medical (our Medicaid) to undocumented minors. There’s legislation to replace any lost federal dollars with state taxpayer dollars so those individuals can maintain coverage.

  44. 44.

    James E Powell

    February 18, 2017 at 3:39 pm

    @Renie:

    It’s probably a variation of that old saying “it’s hard to get someone to understand something when his salary depends on not understanding it.”

    The FBI doesn’t want to find evidence that shows that its decision to install Trump was a bad idea that served a foreign power.

  45. 45.

    Omnes Omnibus

    February 18, 2017 at 3:39 pm

    The FBI has to put together a case that can stand up in a court of law. Adam Khan does not.

  46. 46.

    NeenerNeener

    February 18, 2017 at 3:40 pm

    @hovercraft: I assume you watched the panel discussion on Bill Maher last night, when the discussion went to how freaked out the CIA was about Kennedy’s zipper problem back in the 60s, and how Trump is now orders of magnitude worse. I’m starting to see Trump’s insistence on keeping his own private security force, and forcing Chris Christie to have meatloaf with him last week, in a different light.

  47. 47.

    Brendan in NC

    February 18, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    @DougJ: @jhtrotter: Doug and Jh – I’d say yes, but I’m a little biased…I met Louise when I was 12 years old, and she, along with my mother, was one of 3 women on the Monroe County Legislature. My mother represented the 3rd District from 1978-1980. She and Louise taught me everything I know (and love) about politics… but YMMV.

  48. 48.

    ? Martin

    February 18, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    Additionally, I wrote to the governor on down that I would support the state enacting a temporary tax to replace lost federal funds due to retaliation over California laws. My preference was for an increase on cap gains and top income brackets. I also expressed support for any and all efforts to recover California dollars that flow to the federal government to replace those lost federal funds.

    That last is tricky but not impossible to pull off. Feds are exempt from having to pay for any state/local taxes, but there are still leases and other fund transfers. California also has opportunities to deny federal revenue collection even where the state is unable to recover those dollars.

  49. 49.

    momus

    February 18, 2017 at 3:54 pm

    The goals of Congressional Republicans are much more ambitious than simply dismantling the EPA or ACA, they seem intent on undoing the 20th Century.

  50. 50.

    scav

    February 18, 2017 at 3:56 pm

    Vive La Resistance under different banners volem acollir

    Protesters in Barcelona urge Spain to take in more refugees

    ETA BBC

  51. 51.

    dr. bloor

    February 18, 2017 at 3:59 pm

    @momus: They seem intent on undoing the Enlightenment, actually.

  52. 52.

    vhh

    February 18, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    @Chet Murthy: hmm, Trump spouts Putin line for months on Ukraine etc, but his cabinet goes around world telling allies that US committments hold.
    Trump then says he will force Putin out of Ukraine, and afew days later there is a highly visible Russian spy ship off the Delaware coast, Russian fighter planes are buzzing US naval ships in international waters, and Trump coverage in Russian media drops to zero (I know, I check Russian news sites daily). There’s a message there. So Trump will have to jump back and forth to please the regular GOP and Putin, and ultimately one side or the other or both will decide they can’t live with that anymore. The dream scenario (albeit not real likely) is that Putin releases whatever dirt he has the same day that the Congress gets serious about investigating Trump.

  53. 53.

    jhtrotter

    February 18, 2017 at 4:05 pm

    @Brendan in NC: My poorly made point wasn’t to pick on Louise, but to give the story some context. NY has 27 reps, but only 6 (4 d, 2 r) of them are bothering to face their constituents this week. Mr. Reed is actually having 4 town halls in different locations today. Someone who knows how to drive a spreadsheet could go to the town hall project website and figure out pretty quick that the majority of reps from both sides aren’t bothering to participate over the next week.

    Maybe it’s fun to rip on republicans right now, but I’d kind of like my own rep (Louise) to stand up in front of us, get a first hand sense of her constituent’s emotions, and then explain, if she can, why the hell we shouldn’t be angry and terrified. I suspect a lot of people with invisible reps from both sides may feel this way right now. Maybe that’s a bigger story then picking on a guy who does show up.

  54. 54.

    RealityBites

    February 18, 2017 at 4:10 pm

    @? Martin: impressive!!!

  55. 55.

    debbie

    February 18, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    Here’s your post-West world order, GOP snowflakes:

    http://nypost.com/2017/02/18/russia-wants-pragmatic-relations-with-us/

  56. 56.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    February 18, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    “What I have heard is democracy.”

    That’s a nice sentiment on Mr. Reed’s part but unless a) he starts voting differently (not the straight party line) or b) the voters in his district toss his arse out, it don’t mean much…

    Just sayin’…

    From what I can see, Republicans intend to slow walk the whole Trump/Russia mess as long as they can hoping it just fades away (I’m looking at YOU, Chaffetz) and continue to pick the public’s pocket nine ways to Sunday…

  57. 57.

    MattF

    February 18, 2017 at 4:15 pm

    It’s worth bearing in mind that the stars of the NY Republican party are people like Carl Paladino and Rudy Giuliani. Yeah, once upon a time, there were intelligent, rational people in the NY R party– but that was then. It’s possible that Reed has a thread of decency in his character, but any in-real-life NY Republican politician has to bend the knee to a large number of genuinely awful people, and do their bidding. It ain’t pretty.

  58. 58.

    NeenerNeener

    February 18, 2017 at 4:15 pm

    @jhtrotter: Louise sent out an email request for feedback last week; I filled it out with my concerns and sent it back. It’s not a town hall, but she’s not completely ignoring us either.

  59. 59.

    frosty

    February 18, 2017 at 4:23 pm

    @James Powell: since my rep is in the House Freedom Caucus I’m willing to bet he’s an ignorant hateful bigoted moron.

  60. 60.

    jhtrotter

    February 18, 2017 at 4:25 pm

    @JMG:

    Reed is I am sure a retrograde typical horrible House Republican

    Not really. He’s a somewhat decent sort (for being one of them), and the bills he works on mostly involve helping people with legitimate needs. And he might act and vote more like a democrat than the dick grabbing democrat he replaced.

  61. 61.

    ? Martin

    February 18, 2017 at 4:27 pm

    Today I’m throwing some money at Jon Ossoff, who looks like the Dem candidate to back in the GA-06 special election. He got an endorsement from John Lewis, which is the last word on the matter as far as I’m concerned.

    Democrats need to win back 24 House seats. That’s our first one. Montana’s at-large seat should get an election date soon. That’s our second.

  62. 62.

    jhtrotter

    February 18, 2017 at 4:28 pm

    @NeenerNeener: I know, I’ve shared my opinions and fears with her. It’s just that, right now, it seems like you really need to see the emotion first hand.

  63. 63.

    ? Martin

    February 18, 2017 at 4:40 pm

    This is part of the reason why SB 54 is so important in California.

    Trump issued an executive order last month that declares a “policy” of blocking federal funds for cities, states and other jurisdictions that refuse to provide information and assistance to federal immigration authorities. That puts potentially hundreds of millions of dollars on the chopping block, and transportation advocates say the damage could extend far beyond Trump’s intended targets.

    This is going to be a difficult policy for cities other than NY and LA to fight. The effect is most likely to peel off those smaller communities that can’t afford to lose the funding or fight the order. The most effective means to deal with it is to step into it – have the state take that burden off the cities by declaring a sanctuary state, which puts it in the CA Atty General’s office, with hired guns like Eric Holder on board. California can then fight for a national injunction.

  64. 64.

    kindness

    February 18, 2017 at 4:43 pm

    Rupert Murdoch’s maxim: if you get them enraged & scared folks dispense with logic, reason and compassion. Seems to work on a certain segment of the population. I don’t know how to overcome that with those people. I’m not certain any one of us would be able to reach them at all as they recoil in horror of being around the enemy. Sadly true for too many.

  65. 65.

    liberal

    February 18, 2017 at 4:44 pm

    @jhtrotter: no he’s not. Americans for Democratic Action give that POS a 0% rating.

    He’s one of the enemy.

  66. 66.

    liberal

    February 18, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    @? Martin: Lewis is fine and all, but saying that his word is sufficient—if we include electability as an important criterion—is laughable.

  67. 67.

    LurkerNoLonger

    February 18, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    I have a first draft of a letter to the editor I’d like to share with you guys. Any edits, things to add, things to remove would be helpful. Thanks. Draft follows:

    “The Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare”, is on the chopping block. Donald Trump and
    Republicans in congress want to take away health insurance from an estimated 20-30 million people.
    And I’m one of them.
    Over the past 3 years I’ve had several moles removed by my dermatologist. Prior to the A.C.A, insurance companies
    would have been free to deny me coverage because they would have considered that a pre-exisitng condition. Not
    anymore.
    Even if you have coverage from an employer the protections set forth by the A.C.A affect you too. From young
    adults (who can now stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26) to the elderly (who have seen their prices for
    prescription drugs come down) there isn’t a single American who hasn’t been positively effected by the A.C.A.

    In the Hudson Valley we are represented by newly-elected Republican Congressman John Faso. He needs to hear
    from you. My solitary voice won’t be enough to convince him that the A.C.A should not be destroyed, but the
    combined power of many voices urging him to buck his party’s demented urge to strip health care from millions of
    people will. Together we can save the A.C.A.”

  68. 68.

    jhtrotter

    February 18, 2017 at 4:51 pm

    @liberal: Whatever. So should we just get on with the civil war?

    What did they think of Eric Massa, pre dick grab?

  69. 69.

    ? Martin

    February 18, 2017 at 4:52 pm

    Finally, the environmental battle is shaping up:

    Later that same day, Pruitt confirmed that he would not permit California to continue operating under its own rules as part of its 2009 advanced clean cars program and zero emission vehicle mandates.

    As predicted, California isn’t interested in being told what to do.

    The California Air Resources Board released a report Wednesday considering the future of zero-emission vehicles. CARB says it considers the current national efforts to promote electrification and reduce emissions to be tolerable, but not exactly robust. It says if federal emissions standards are drastically altered by the Trump administration, the state would have to reconsider whether or not to keep its policies synchronized with Washington’s.

    “The message we want to send is that post-2025 California is moving not just to moderate, but to very aggressive, stringency on greenhouse gases and zero-emission vehicles,” Joshua Cunningham, chief of CARB’s sustainable transport staff, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We’re pushing the boundaries.”
    …
    California remains the largest automotive market in North America, giving it the authority to implement and maintain pollution rules that are more stringent than the national standards.

    “California will continue to lead the world in addressing climate change and advancing clean energy regardless of who is in the White House or at the EPA,” Kevin de Leon, president of the California senate, said in a statement. “Mr. Pruitt should get used to that and not try to impose his Oklahoma views on the Golden State.”

    California is eligible for a waiver because it’s air quality laws predate the federal Air Quality Act and a waiver was built into the federal law. California is the only state eligible for a waiver, so this isn’t a fight that anyone else can realistically take up. But we’re running out of political space here in CA to work with the feds on anything.

  70. 70.

    ET

    February 18, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    It has to be a complete shock to the system for many Republican members of Congress to be confronted with such loud disagreement and resistance. They either willfully deluded themselves into thinking everyone (with a few exceptions) agree with them or were so wed to the impermeable bubble that they didn’t “understand” that there were a host of people that didn’t agree with them even if they may not have been vocal. Projection is a powerful force for ideologues. Keep in mind most members of Congress aren’t any smarter than the people that voted for them and some are quite a bit more stupid.

  71. 71.

    jhtrotter

    February 18, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    Common Dreams has an article up with pics and video from Tom Reed’s Most Wonderful Day.

    common dreams

  72. 72.

    ? Martin

    February 18, 2017 at 4:55 pm

    @liberal: Dude, what the fuck. It’s a low-turnout special election. There is literally not a goddamn thing that you can claim about ‘electability’ in that scenario. Go ask Mike Castle how his ‘electability’ worked out for him.

  73. 73.

    liberal

    February 18, 2017 at 4:57 pm

    @? Martin: You’re wrong, as usual.

  74. 74.

    liberal

    February 18, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    @jhtrotter: they look at actual voting records. And yes, if you don’t think a RWNJ with a 0% ADA rating is one of the enemy, you have your head up your ass.

  75. 75.

    raven

    February 18, 2017 at 5:02 pm

    @? Martin: Fuck yea, Apple Pay too!

  76. 76.

    jhtrotter

    February 18, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    @liberal:

    …you have your head up your ass…

    Nice. The trump is strong with this one.

    And by the way, a complete and accurate assertion is that they look at voting records based on their own criteria. I was one of his constituents for a short time, so I didn’t need a socialist website to assess his record, but clearly your mileage and intellectual maturity may vary. Oopsy. It appears I can disparage too.

  77. 77.

    ? Martin

    February 18, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    @liberal:
    @liberal:

    So, your argument is that we should only support strongly progressive candidates but electability should be our primary concern. Gotcha. ??

  78. 78.

    tobie

    February 18, 2017 at 5:18 pm

    I spent the day canvassing for Stephanie Hansen in a special election for the Delaware State Senate. Whichever party wins the seat will control the Delaware state legislature. I was sent to a development of townhomes built by Ryland some time in the early 2000s. All the Latino and African-American residents I spoke to were friendly and committed to voting for Hansen. All the whites I spoke to were either uncommitted or downright hostile. To see such a dramatic split by race was depressing even if predictable.

    There were, by the way, many volunteers from New York at the campaign headquarters in this very exurban community. It was impressive that they traveled so far for this one local race.

  79. 79.

    ? Martin

    February 18, 2017 at 5:23 pm

    @tobie: I’ll throw in for Hansen. Controlling state legislatures is important.

  80. 80.

    Humdog

    February 18, 2017 at 5:24 pm

    @tobie: tobie, is Hansen running on racial issues? Or are Delaware whites anti Democrats?

    Thanks for putting in the work.

  81. 81.

    tobie

    February 18, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    @? Martin: Thanks. Hard to believe that control of the DE legislature is up in the air. The state has a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators, but it’s also got very conservative rural regions that tend to turn out for the midterms.

  82. 82.

    Ian

    February 18, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    @jharp:
    Said theory ignores the fact that they will gladly stab you in the back for a quick dollar.

    This is their nature. Winning is more important than ethics.

  83. 83.

    bjacques

    February 18, 2017 at 5:35 pm

    I wonder if Tom Reed’s namesake (forebear?) delivered an ectoplasmic dope slap. If it doesn’t prove enough, the voters will have to deliver an electoral one.

  84. 84.

    Baud

    February 18, 2017 at 5:36 pm

    @tobie: That is depressing.

    @tobie: Until our side gets serious about showing up for every election, we are working with one hand tied behind our backs.

  85. 85.

    Denali

    February 18, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    I alway thought it was probable that Eric Massa was taken down because he was for single payer health care.

  86. 86.

    tobie

    February 18, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    @Humdog: Others here probably know Delaware better than me but what I can say is that Hansen’s not running on racial issues at all. The issue is that Middletown, Delaware (the center of her district) was once a rural area but it’s now become a bedroom community for Wilmington, and there is likely some tension between old-timers and new arrivals. The auto plants in Newark, DE closed in 2007 and 2008, so you have a number of former plant workers who had to look for a new line of work during the great recession. Basically you have a lot of the same dynamics in Middletown as in rural areas and the rust belt with the exception that this district has witnessed an extraordinary housing boom. I’ll phone bank on election day (Feb 25) just to help the cause.

  87. 87.

    Ruviana

    February 18, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    @tobie: Since it sounds like you were canvassing in a very diverse area can you sense or did you get told why the white voters were so hostile?

  88. 88.

    Ian

    February 18, 2017 at 5:42 pm

    @Redshift:

    Mark Sanford apparently had a 3 1/2 hour town hall today, staying until he’d talked to everyone who was willing to stay. (They moved it outside after the first hour for the crowd that couldn’t fit in the auditorium.)

    Good for him. Maybe all that time on the Appalachian trail did him some good.

    On the other hand he has 3 1/2 hour endurance. Maybe this is why his Argentinian mistress fell for him?

    What am I saying? This is a douchebag who cheated on his wife on state funds, lied to everyone about it, and proceeded to later win a congressional seat. Fuck him, he is the gold-standard of IOKIYAR.

  89. 89.

    ? Martin

    February 18, 2017 at 5:50 pm

    @Ian:

    Fuck him, he is the gold-standard of IOKIYAR.

    Let’s take our support wherever we can get it.

    What concerns Sanford on a fundamental level—“the danger” of Trump’s presidency, he says— is that “historically there’s incredible deference to the presidency from the party in power.” He understands the reluctance of rank-and-file Republicans to criticize a president who “has a proven record of taking people down.” But, he says, there must be a muscular check on Trump from somewhere inside the GOP. He was encouraged to see Speaker Paul Ryan push back on him throughout 2016, but equally disheartened to see him willingly subjugated after the election results came in. “I admired his conviction in the campaign,” Sanford says of Ryan. However, he adds, “at the end of the day, radio silence is not sustainable in being true to yourself.”

    I won’t judge whether he has had a sincere change of attitude, thought he interview suggests he has. He seems full aware of the hypocrisy of accusing Trump of dishonesty. But he could equally see an opportunity to stand out among the GOP by taking a chance opposing Trump. Doesn’t matter – if he’s speaking out against Trump then he’s a temporary ally until Trump is gone.

  90. 90.

    tobie

    February 18, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    @Ruviana: One refrain was that all politicians are crooks. This is of course part of the Republican plan. Diminish all faith in government so everything can eventually be privatized. The neighborhood I was sent to was interesting because it was so mixed. Republicans and Democrats, African Americans, Latinos and whites all live right next to each other in identical townhomes and presumably do get along, so long as politics is the not the issue.

  91. 91.

    Shana

    February 18, 2017 at 5:58 pm

    @Renie: Adam Kahn’s stuff is terrific but terrifying. Definitely worth reading.

  92. 92.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    February 18, 2017 at 6:02 pm

    @? Martin: Yes, but he was running against a witch.

  93. 93.

    Glidwrith

    February 18, 2017 at 6:10 pm

    @LurkerNoLonger: ‘affected’ not ‘effected’/pendant

  94. 94.

    The Lodger

    February 18, 2017 at 6:13 pm

    @Glidwrith: That’s /pedant.

  95. 95.

    Scamp Dog

    February 18, 2017 at 6:16 pm

    @LurkerNoLonger: Two trivial things to fix: “affected” instead of effected, and there are transposed letters toward the end of “pre-exisitng”. What you’re saying is great. Send it along!

  96. 96.

    Glidwrith

    February 18, 2017 at 6:22 pm

    @The Lodger: Aaaaarghhhh!

  97. 97.

    LurkerNoLonger

    February 18, 2017 at 6:28 pm

    @Glidwrith: @Scamp Dog: Thank you! I’ve made those changes.

  98. 98.

    zhena gogolia

    February 18, 2017 at 6:33 pm

    @? Martin:

    Right.

  99. 99.

    J R in WV

    February 18, 2017 at 6:45 pm

    @Cacti:

    I think the Rs are mostly hateful racist authoritarian bastards, top to bottom. My bro in TX is a far gone member of the BoyScoutCult, where they teach boys now to be obedient members of an authoritarian organization, wearing uniforms like military units.

    No girls allowed. No independence allowed. No thought allowed.

  100. 100.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    February 18, 2017 at 6:51 pm

    @LurkerNoLonger:

    In addition to what has been mentioned above:

    The word “Congress” should be capitalized.

    Throughout you use “A.C.A” with no period after the third letter (except at the end of a sentence). Either add the period or (better) go with the accepted usage “ACA” throughout.

    In your phrase

    otherwise known as “Obamacare”,

    the comma should be inside the closing quote.

  101. 101.

    The Dudeist

    February 18, 2017 at 6:52 pm

    @jharp: I believe that Ryan and McConnell like an
    Empty suit for president. He will sign anything that crosses his desk. They want to kill government then they will get rid of him.

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