A year ago we lost a national hero, and I lost a friend and parishioner. John Lewis spent his life fighting to ensure our country lived up to its founding creed, and I’m so honored for the opportunity to carry on his legacy. pic.twitter.com/fkM6ACh4Na
— Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) July 17, 2021
Days before he died one year ago today, Jill and I spoke with John Lewis for the last time. He asked us to remain focused on the unfinished work – his life’s work – of healing and uniting this nation. With John’s spirit guiding us, we must be unafraid and never give up.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 17, 2021
I keep this photograph in my office as a reminder of Congressman Lewis and the work we have left to do. Democracy is stronger when everyone participates—and is weaker when people are left out. pic.twitter.com/stpm9XD1mG
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 17, 2021
The best way to honor his legacy is to carry on the fight – by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the #ForThePeopleAct, and by helping eligible voters no matter where they live get registered and vote, and have their vote counted. The fight is not over.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 17, 2021
“I gave a little blood on that bridge in Selma. I almost died. Some of my friends and colleagues were murdered. I'm not asking any of you to give any blood. I'm just asking you to go and vote like you've never voted before."
—Rep. John Lewis
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) July 17, 2021
Today marks one year without my dear friend, John Lewis, a stalwart in the fight for voting rights.
We ought to honor his memory and life's work by passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and protecting the right to vote. pic.twitter.com/cIYe6Q5SzX
— James E. Clyburn (@WhipClyburn) July 17, 2021
John Lewis and C.T. Vivian loved this country so much that they risked their lives so that it might live up to its promise. They gave all of themselves to the cause of freedom and justice, and inspired generations to follow their example. Now it’s up to us to continue the work. pic.twitter.com/LZNQHqIUAo
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 17, 2021
A year ago today, we lost Congressman John Lewis. As we celebrate the king of good trouble—his legacy of perseverance; his ability to find moments of joy and lightness in the midst of real struggle—we should also recommit ourselves to building the future he envisioned. pic.twitter.com/07nbvnBh9i
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 17, 2021
John Lewis taught us that when we see something that is not right, not just, not fair, we have to do something. He taught us not to lose hope—that this is the struggle of many lifetimes. He taught us to get in #GoodTrouble.
One year already. We miss you. pic.twitter.com/O94KTlt76H
— Rep. Val Demings (@RepValDemings) July 17, 2021
Jesus said we harm ourselves when we honor the tombs of prophets but neglect to do the work they taught us to do. End the filibuster. Pass the For the People Act that he helped to write. Pass the VRA Advancement Act that has his name on it.
— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@RevDrBarber) July 18, 2021
Catherine D.
Go, Reverend Barber! Kyrsten Sinema should have burst into flames after that tweet.
mali muso
Glad to see Sinema roundly called out. I don’t know what her game is but she should keep John Lewis’ name out of her mouth.
Baud
Good selection of tweets, AL. It’s nice to read about heroes rather than villains.
germy
@mali muso:
She’s one of the 47 co-sponsors of the voting rights bill.
debbie
@Catherine D.: @mali muso:
Seconded. That was a GOP-type statement, nothing. more.
The Thin Black Duke
@mali muso:
Sinema’s performative bullshit sways those squishy white liberals. It’s working so far.
The Thin Black Duke
@germy: It don’t mean shit if Sinema refuses to kill the filibuster.
Catherine D.
@The Thin Black Duke: Exactly!
Baud
@The Thin Black Duke:
Which squishy white liberals is it working on? I haven’t heard anyone defend her.
Bluegirlfromwyo
@germy: So is Joe Manchin…neither is backing up their cosponsorship as far as I can tell.
The Thin Black Duke
@Baud: The squishy white liberals will vote for her because Sinema checks off the right boxes. Openly bisexual, avant garde wardrobe. Looks good on magazine covers. Never mind her opposition to putting a stake in the filibuster, she’s kewl. I know we’re stuck with Sinema because she’s the best we can get in Arizona, but I don’t like it.
J R in WV
We donated to Ms Sinema’s campaign for the Senate, as part time residents of Arizona she seemed the better choice of the candidates in that particular race.
She will have to win her next race without help from us; she seems to be a simpering fool now…
germy
Gloria Richardson died a few days ago, another civil rights giant.
germy
Immanentize
I’m going for grump of the day award.
I am now officially over the “good trouble” phrase. It has so quickly become a slogan bereft of meaning like “the arc … bends toward justice” quote. They each have become safe things for anyone to say, no matter how opposed to the goals of Lewis or King they might be.
“Goodtrouble” is a hashtag! Woot! I give it a year before it’s a dish soap brand.
YMMV
germy
@Immanentize:
Goodbubble
O. Felix Culpa
@J R in WV:
“She seems to be a simpering fool now.”
She is that, and perhaps also a tool. My parents live in AZ and we were so excited when they elected a Democratic Senator. What a disappointment Sinema has become. Can’t figure out what her game is, but whatever it is, it’s not about protecting democracy.
Rugosa
@germy:
Which isn’t going to pass unless the filibuster is eliminated.
germy
@Rugosa:
Well there you go. She gets to do liberal performance art by co-sponsoring, while pleasing her donors from ALEC.
I think some people are gearing up to challenge her during her next primary, but I don’t know who.
dww44
A bit off topic, but I just saw a story about Missouri’s unjust justice system on CBS Sunday Morning. Two citizens, both Black men of course, are still incarcerated in prison even though both are innocent of the crimes they were found guilty of committing. Horrifyingly, it seems that all that matters there is process,
Rachel’s been on this case for a few weeks but maybe this story will reach more eyes and the outrage will build. Something needs to jerk a few knots in
the officials who have the power to rectify these wrongs. Apparently allegiance to process over justice is the norm in the state.
germy
A commenter here said that there are other conservative Democrats (who don’t want attention) who are hiding behind Sinema/Manchin, who do.
The Thin Black Duke
@Immanentize: “Good trouble” is a beautiful thing to say; it sings, it has wings and it flies as high as it can go to see if dreams have a ceiling. I’m not going to let assholes take it away from me.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@germy: Claire McCaskill has said there aren’t forty votes to eliminate the filibuster, much less fifty. Dianne Feinstein has muttered things about it, Leahy was always known as an “institutionalist” when this came up under Obama/Reid. Jacky Rosen and Jeanne Shaheen have hinted they want to keep it, and I’ve seen speculation that they’re both covering for their state-mates, who are both vulnerable next year, especially Hassan.
But Rosen has said she’s open to a carve-out for voting rights, and I suspect there may be more votes for that.
Immanentize
@The Thin Black Duke:
Ok, for you I will put aside my dyspeptic view of the phrase itself and give it a new listen.
But I stand by my detergent prediction.
sdhays
@germy: People say this, but they either don’t name names or they name people who are publicly ok with doing something with the filibuster for voting rights. Sure, they might be lying, but I’m going to need more than an anonymous commenter’s word on that.
I don’t know anything more than anybody else, but I remain hopeful that we’re witnessing some stupid kubuki and will see some kind of change to the filibuster later this year. I base this on nothing more than Senate Democrats still seem to think there’s a path forward. But that’s been a good indicator so far.
germy
@sdhays:
I don’t remember which commenter. Maybe they’ll show up with some citations.
Suzanne
Fuck you, Kyrsten Sinema. Fuck you and whatever tacky-ass basic vehicle-or-animal with glittery accessories you rode in on.
Suzanne
@J R in WV:
You made the right call. Compared to Martha McSally, she’s certainly better. I voted for her primary opponent, every time, and then for her in the general, every time. So…. sorry, y’all. I’m partly to blame for her dumb shit.
germy
I hope conservative politicians pay attention to these corporations ($) because they sure don’t pay attention to us.
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
What’s the level of support for returning it to a talking filibuster?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
you have to read between the Senate-speak, and most of them fall back on “open to reform” or “willing to discuss”. I think you can take that as a no on elimination
Eolirin
@sdhays: Hell, we have leaked recordings of Manchin telling donors he’s willing to get behind some changes to the filibuster process, like requiring 40 votes to sustain rather than 60 to end. Even that would probably be enough given the Republican caucus’s habitual tendency to be unable to actually show up for things on a consistent basis. They don’t have the stamina as a group, or the discipline if it requires actual effort. They’re only good at not doing things.
Suzanne
@O. Felix Culpa:
Her game is about crafting a personal brand of herself as maverick-y and independent and cool. Then she’s going to cash the fuck right in. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her as a co-host of The View or something.
Sinema is an ex-Mormon. I don’t know if y’all know any Formons, but her behavior makes a lot of sense in that context.
Eolirin
@Suzanne: Given that the alternative was that McConnell would control the Senate right now you have nothing to apologize for at all. And if she wins her primary we still need you and every other dem in AZ to fight to get her re-elected. There’s absolutely nothing to be gained by losing that seat even if she’s insufferable.
germy
@Suzanne:
I don’t know enough about Mormons to understand.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Suzanne:
My God. That’s horrifically plausible. “The Sensible Center with Senator Sinema, next on CNN”. It would crash and burn, like all the other variants CNN has done on that theme, but she could get a boatload of cash up front. I believe MSNBC paid Megyn Kelly $50M to go away
Geminid
@germy: I have seen Congressman Greg Stanton (AZ-9) mentioned as a possible challenger to Sinema for the 2024 nomination. But right now job number one for Arizona Democrats is to reelect Mark Kelly next year. Then they can decide if they want to try to elect someone better than Kyrsten Sinema.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Eolirin: and before that, we have to hold Mark Kelly’s seat– and I suspect he’s one of those who’s happy to let her take the heat– along with Warnock, Cortez-Masto and Hassan, and flip a few seats in purple states (PA, NC, WI, OH, FL)
Eolirin
@Geminid: They also need to focus on winning the state government. That’s probably more important than replacing Sinema. We can make up for a couple of weak Senators that will caucus with us by winning in other states.
sdhays
@Eolirin: Exactly. And, frankly, the only way to save the filibuster, if that’s your desire, is to introduce some reforms now, because it won’t last the decade if this drags on, one way or another.
Suzanne
@germy: A lot of them, when they leave the church, there’s a lot of mental gymnastics they do in order to not feel bad about their past selves or their family and friends who are still in it. And because observant Mormons don’t drink and usually aren’t really encouraged to be into things like attention-getting looks, they often dive into the alcohol-and-trendy-fashion-and-colored-hair-dye stuff that most of us got out of our systems in high school and college. Her attention-seeking behavior and appearance feels very familiar to me.
Suzanne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Yeah. Look at her behavior through the lens of celebrity and it makes more sense.
O. Felix Culpa
@Suzanne: I know a number of ex-evangelicals and -fundamentalists (including Ms. O.), but no ex-Mormons. What are their distinguishing characteristics?
ETA: Oops, I see you answered that question already @ #41. Severely delayed adolescence. Thanks for the explanation!
germy
@Suzanne:
The thumbs down curtsy certainly got a lot of eyeballs.
Spanky
I would rather have Sinema any day of the week as long as she caucuses with the Democrats. Anyone who helped get her elected instead of a Republican did exactly the right thing.
Having said that, we’ll have brand new Senators in a little under 18 months. Our goal until then is to make sure Sinema and Manchin do no harm while we work to make their performative bullshit as irrelevant as possible.
Suzanne
@Geminid: Greg Stanton is plausible, IMO. He has that very non-threatening vibe to him, and he was a good and popular mayor of PHX. He was very development-focused and that brought him some popularity even from conservatives. (Remember that Phoenix’s only real market is growth.) But there’s some items in the negative column. He got a reputation for being pretty progressive, but the Phoenix Police Department is a shitshow. Read the piece that ran in the FTFNYT a couple of years back, or about the case of Muhammad Muhaymin.
Geminid
Besides Speaker Pelosi, some of John Lewis’s othergriends and colleagues and attended the ceremony in San Diego. I saw a good picture of New York Congressmen Hakeem Jeffries and Greg Meeks on either side of Maxine Waters (D-CA). They had on hardhats, and they were smiling.
Betty
@germy: Yet remains unwilling to ensure its passage. Her behavior is a mystery.
Betty
@The Thin Black Duke: She is not the best Arizona can do. Democrats there are fed with her and have told her so.
Suzanne
@Betty: She is the best that AZ has been able to do in a long time, though. Dems struggle statewide there. She gets elected (in part) because she appeals to the Mormon mom segment, and this segment is not reflexively GOP but they aren’t socially liberal, either. Mormons like rules. They are socialized to be cheerful and uncomplaining. Unlike evangelicals, lots of Mormon women go on to higher education.
Betty
@Suzanne: That seems to be the long and short of it. “Look at me, PLEASE.” Reminds me of Jeb’s request that the audience clap.
The Thin Black Duke
@Immanentize: Fair enough, my friend. And I do get uneasy when The Usual Suspects homogenize our language. I get that. Look what they did to ‘liberal’.
Geminid
@Suzanne: If he runs, Greg Stanton may be an imperfect candidate, but so is Synema. I think Arizona Democrats will be looking at Mark Kelly’s permormance next year when they calculate whether someone more liberal than Sinema can win in Arizona. Joe Biden and Mark Kelly had a record turnout of Democratic voters last year, and Sinema was not on the ballot.
Past Democratic state office holders may be influential. I know that a Democratic former state Attorney General has put Sinema on warning, saying that he could not continue to support her if she obstructs vital legislation. If Greg Stanton were to announce for the seat with the former Attorney General on one side of him, and former Governor Janet Napolitano on the other, I’d put my money on Stanton in the primary. I think Sinema would much rather be a Senator than a TV host, so she has to bear a strong primary challenge in mind. Her support among Arizona Democrats may be broad, but I wonder if it’s very deep.
Gretchen
How does one send garden photos?
germy
Suzanne
@Geminid: I have liked Stanton for a long time, he’s very preferable. I will note that I was fairly involved in party politics when I lived there and there is definitely a Dem cohort that has hated Sinema for years. They have her number, for sure. She gets her ass primaried every time. But because she wins general elections reliably, in a state where Dem wins have been pretty few and far between for a long time, it is going to be hard to convince the state party to support someone else. I am not sure that Stanton is enough to do it.
I think it is important to remember that AZ knows who she is and she keeps winning. Y’all are surprised by her behavior, but they are not. So please understand that an AOC- type or a SPW-type is not an option. Any Dem who wins there will be pretty damn moderate.
Elizabelle
At some point, Sinema’s problem is decency. If she had more, and moral courage, she would see how important voting rights are, and how
dreadfulthorough a threat to democracy the filibuster has become.She seems to lack both, at least on this very important topic. That is not a “moderate” position. It is cowardice.
Maybe paid cowardice.
zhena gogolia
@The Thin Black Duke:
I’m with you. I like the arc bending toward justice too.
Baud
Reelecting Kelly next year has to be Job No.1 if you want AZ Dems to believe they can do better than Sinema.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud: and Katie Hobbs is running for governor. She’s won statewide.
Also, getting behind the right candidates for the other open/vulnerable GOP seats, and supporting other less-than-ideal (from an internet-left perspective) moderates in NV and NH.
Omnes Omnibus
@Baud: But I’d rather take down someone who annoys me. It’s so much easier.
Geminid
@Suzanne: I am not so liberal as many, and if I were an Arizona Democrat, I would probably vote for Sinema over an Ocasio-Cortez-type, and not just on grounds of electability. But Stanton sounds like the kind of moderately liberal, or liberally moderate Democrat Virginia has been electing in Senate, Governor, and Congressional races as the state has gone from red to purple to blue.
Sinema’s record will be much fuller by fhe 2024 primary. She has already come through for her Caucus on important votes, and we do not yet know how her apparent recalcitrance on infrastructure and voting rights will play out in the end. That infamous no-vote on the minimum wage was on an inconsequential “vote-rama” amendment. One of my own Senators voted the same way, and attracted little attention. But Mark Warner lacks Kyrsten Sinema’s flair, big time.
Scout211
@Gretchen:
Send an email with your pics to Anne Laurie. Click the “contact us” in the menu bar up top.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Geminid:
right, she was looking for attention.
She, and I believe Manchin (and Collins and other Rs) said at the time she supports a national minimum wage increase, but $15 is too high for some states and areas. Seems to me she/they could do a lot for their stance on bipartisanship– and do a lot of people some good– by proposing a stand-alone $12 minimum.
Geminid
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I seem to remember that you are among the Nina Turner-skeptical. Have you checked out @SashaBeauloux’s twitter feed? Ms. Beauloux has a steady job that keeps her busy during the week, but she has been making the most of the weekend by going after Turner hammer and tongs.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Geminid:
that’s like saying that Daenerys Targaryen (those words are covered by spell-check, go figure) was Lannister-skeptical (O! for a dragon!) but yeah. And since you brought her to my attention I’ve been following Sasha Beauloux.
Still can’t believe the (I’d thought) grown-ups in the Progressive Caucus want to throw that squawking albatross around Tim Ryan’s neck
sab
@Suzanne: That is so true. I had forgotten she is a lapsed Mormon. The ones I knew in Las Vegas acted like wild adolescents well into their fifties.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@germy: I grieve for my fellow Divine 9 member; she may not have been widely known but she is LEGEND amongst us.
Rest in Power sister.
J R in WV
@Gretchen:
You email Annie Laurie with the pics attached to the email. You can do several emails if needed.
You could also perhaps use the On the Road picture submission tool, although WaterGirl would receive those.
There’s a “Contact Us” link in the upper right hand corner of the front page also too.
ETA As Scout211 also told us earlier!!