This week at progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching. Here is the February 4 edition. Inclusion of a blog post does not necessarily indicate my agreement with—or endorsement of—its contents.
|
At ProgressNowNM, Pat Davis writes—In first post-Trump elections, progressives sweep school elections helped by record voter turnout:
Progressive candidates fought off pro-Trump Tea Party candidates in school board elections around the state, Tuesday. It was the first election test of the newly energized progressive movement in the Trump era.
The results are still coming in but the early results are already clear: this movement isn’t just about resistance in the streets – we’re voting, too!
“Voter turnout in Albuquerque was almost double what it was two years ago, and early numbers show that those voters came out for a slate of progressive candidates endorsed by educators unions, progressive elected leaders and community organizations, including ProgressNowNM,” says Pat Davis, executive director of ProgressNowNM. [...]
At Delaware Liberal, Evey writes—Resist. Persist:
“Nevertheless, she persisted.”
You’re goddamn right she did, just like countless brave women and men who came before Senator Elizabeth Warren and laid the foundation for the ground she stood on when she took the Senate floor. I’m not sure Senator Mitch McConnell realized that his attempt to silence Senator Warren would speak volumes to millions of women and men–but it did! We have a chance to use this and other missteps by out-of-touch Senators on both sides of the aisle to foster change. But we should offer more than space in our tent. We have to honor the experiences of the people who work with us even if we ourselves do not have those same experiences.
Just as McConnell was wrong to try to silence Warren because he disagreed with her (what a great free speech advocate he is!), Democrats (progressive, liberals, whatever label you identify with), we must stop policing each other’s priorities. We are all working on the same general platform and a platform is always going to have more than one issue. You don’t have to care about my work on women’s issues, but maybe don’t yuck my yum. I can be better about this too. The party is big enough to encompass us all. [...]
After being off-line for more than six weeks, Martha Jackovics at Beach Peanuts of Florida returned with Bilirakis "Listens" To Voters Begging Him Not To Kill Obamacare, But Ignores Their Pleas:
Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis hosted a "listening session" Saturday to give his constituents a chance to share their concerns about his party's plan to repeal Obamacare absent a replacement, but their pleas to keep the ACA in place fell on his deaf ears.
After spending more than two hours listening to requests like "Please don't let me die" from a man who voted for him, Bilirakis was unmoved, vowing to go ahead with plans to end the ACA. He said this to reporters after the session was over, in spite of telling his voters face to face that "I wouldn't be a good representative if I didn't hear you out."
While his constituents came armed with facts, Bilirakis came armed with the same old smoke and mirrors talking points his party has used for years in an effort to poison the public well against ACA. Unfortunately, as predicted, those well worn talking points have bumped into reality: Obamacare is now popular (Florida broke signup records) and saving lives. Those who are now insured because of it have a lot to lose if Republicans take it away, and Bilirakis' voters shared those concerns with him.
There was John Ford, 66, who was once denied coverage for his hip because he had previously had the joint replaced. And Christine Mendonca, 34, who worried that without Obamacare, she could no longer afford to get pregnant.
Evan Thornton, 21, fought back tears describing the congenital heart condition that could cut his life short. The Affordable Care Act allowed him to have coverage under his parents' plan into his 20s, he said.
"I'm an independent who voted for you," he told Bilirakis. "Please don't take my life away. Please don't let me die."
[...]
At LiberalOC of California, Daniel Chmielewski writes—OC Young Democrats Elect Board, Launch Committee to Resist Trump Administration:
Last night in Newport Beach, more than 65 young Democrats attended the Orange County Young Democrats’ February meeting to elect a new board and launch the organization’s new Trump Resistance Committee.
The Orange County Young Democrats (OCYD) saw exceptional attendance last night as more than 65 local young professionals and students came together for its February meeting. The membership voted in a new executive board and saw the launch of a new Trump Resistance Committee, which will present hands-on opportunities for young Democrats in OC who are passionately against Trump’s agenda.
The purpose of the Trump Resistance Committee is “to support local movements in Orange County that strategically pressure our members of Congress to oppose Trump’s un-American policies.” The committee is guided by the principles and plan of action outlined in the popular Indivisible Guide. The committee will partner with local organizations including Indivisible OC. The launch saw enthusiastic support from members, many of whom signed up to get involved in calls to action and organizing opportunities. [...]
At Progressive Pulse of North Carolina, Joe Killian writes—NC Senate, House Democrats introduce HB2 repeal bills:
Democratic lawmakers filed two separate bills Thursday to repeal HB2.
The bills come as sports officials have warned North Carolina could lose dozens of NCAA championship events if the controversial law is not repealed soon.
Despite that, much of the GOP majority in the N.C. House and Senate continue to oppose a full repeal or decline to commit on the issue.
House Bill 82, also filed in the Senate, calls for a complete repeal of the controversial law and the creation of a statewide nondiscrimination law that would include, among other protected categories, sexual orientation and gender identity.
The bill could have a tough time with the Republican majority who have opposed gender sexual orientation and gender identity protections in municipalities and have said they want to prevent laws or ordinances that would allow people to choose public restrooms based on their gender identity.
“My hometown of Greensboro has suffered enormously from economic losses because of HB2, and the potential economic harm from the NCAA pull-out for the next 6 years is even greater.” said Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), one of the sponsors of the House legislation, in a statement. [...]
At Blogging Blue of Wisconsin, Ed Heinzelman writes—Senator Cruz With Selective Memory and Maybe His Own Alternative Facts:
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas and former presidential candidate) slammed the Democrats for obstructing President Trump’s cabinet appointees in no uncertain terms. And particular attention was turned to the issues being raised about Senator Jeff Sessions history and background…he called to task accusations that Sen. Sessions is racist [...]
“The Democrats are the party of the Ku Klux Klan,” Cruz (R-Tex.) said in an interview on Fox News on Wednesday. “You look at the most racist — you look at the Dixiecrats, they were Democrats who imposed segregation, imposed Jim Crow laws, who founded the Klan. The Klan was founded by a great many Democrats.”
This first bit is unfortunately true. Many of the Dixiecrats were essentially all of that. But he fails to mention where the descendants of those Dixiecrats are today.
Last year, David Neiwert, a contributing writer for the group, wrote that describing the KKK as a “leftist” organization is false.
" Yes, in the South of the 1920s, the Klan was a militaristic and terroristic wing of the Jim Crow-loving Democratic Party there, in no shape, form, or fashion was this the 'leftist' wing of the Democratic Party. When the members of the Klan were Democrats, as in the 1920s, as well as in the '40s when they were called 'Dixiecrats,' they were conservative Democrats,” he wrote.
Neiwert's article was in response to CNN conservative analyst Jeffrey Lord's statement calling the KKK “a leftist terrorist organization.”
At The Progressive Midwesterner, Aaron Camp writes—Peter Roskam is afraid of his constituents:
The protests earlier today against Congressman Peter Roskam of our state’s 6th Congressional District were in response to Roskam’s congressional staffers canceling a constituent meeting because he’s afraid of being held accountable the media:
Rep. Peter Roskam’s (R-IL) office cancelled a meeting with constituents about Obamacare on Wednesday when a staffer for the congressman learned that a reporter was present, according to the Aurora Beacon-News.
Constituent Sandra Alexander told the Beacon-News that she arranged the meeting about the Affordable Care Act with Roskam’s staff ahead of time and informed them that she would be bringing along a small group.
But staffers cancelled the meeting before it could begin, ostensibly because there were members of the media present
Even though Roskam’s district was gerrymandered for him thanks to Mike Madigan and his cronies, there is a huge opportunity for a Democratic candidate to run against Roskam and possibly ride a wave of left-wing backlash towards the Donald Trump-era Republican Party all the way to a congressional victory.
At Left in Alabama, countrycat writes—AL-05 Mo Brooks’ “Public Town Hall” Event Canceled After Public Found Out About It:
Dear Mo Brooks: we in AL-05 smell chicken. Many AL-05 residents were excited by the opportunity to see Congressman Mo Brooks in his native habitat: a Tea Party meeting held in a Baptist Church. But alas, it was not to be. Rep. Brooks & the Huntsville, AL Tea Party group abruptly canceled Thursday’s event – after the Eventbrite ticket sign-up for free tickets sold out.
Brooks’ office explained that it was never a “public town hall,” but a “private” address to the Huntsville Tea Party.
Apparently, someone forgot to tell the TEA Party, because their Facebook page advertised the event as a “town hall” that was “free and public welcome.”
The announcement disappeared from the group’s Facebook page late yesterday morning and the group’s Web site several hours later. Many people, however, had already printed their tickets. [...]
This appears to be a trend. NY-01 Republican Congressman also canceled a town hall event yesterday. Perhaps disappointed constituents across the country should turn these tickets into collectibles.
At Juanita Jean’s of Texas, Primo Encarnación writes—The Ballad of Alternative Facts:
South of the Border, down Mexico way Is the land where the narcos and rapists all play Sent here to kill us all, one at a time
Or force us to drink warm Corona, no lime
Or steal all our taxes and take all our jobs
So say all of Don’s nattering nabobs
They also sneak terrorists over the border
In dynamite zoot-suits, hand-made to order To believe this is true in part, or at all Means support Donnie and his yuge new wall
With cantaloupe calves and hulking wet backs The Mexican threat is alternative facts [...]
With a dolt for a teacher, this autodidact Donald J Trump IS alternative fact.
At Washington Liberals, Valerie Tarico writes—How to Use the Bible against Abortion Protestors:
It’s time to confront conception obsessed Bible-believers on their own terms, with language they understand.
Imagine if we turned the Bible and Christianity’s highest values back on the Religious Right. This Saturday, February 11, the most conception-obsessed members of the Religious Right will be gathering at Evangelical and Catholic churches, loading teenagers into busses and cars, and surrounding Planned Parenthood with protest signs. Some will pray and sing church songs or shout Bible quotes or carry pictures of the Virgin Mary. But most will carry signs that say things like “abortion stops a beating heart” [so does oyster-eating] or “aren’t you glad your mother didn’t have an abortion?” [Yes; glad also that she didn’t have a headache that night] or “it’s a baby” [an acorn is an oak tree?] or “one life ended, one destroyed” [actually, factually not]. Some may carry “fetal squish” pictures—not images of common early abortions but of the rare fetus that dies or is aborted late in gestation. In other words, they will try to sway the rest of us by speaking our language—the language of science, human rights and secular ethical values; and they will appeal to our moral emotions: compassion, love of life, and disgust.
Those of us who cherish the freedom to choose our own lives and families—and to live by our own moral values—could learn a thing or two from the more sophisticated of these protestors, both what they say and what they want to hide.
At Blue Virginia, lowkell writes—Tom Perriello Announces Opposition to Fracked Gas Pipelines, Support for Clean Energy:
In addition to opposing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline fracked gas monstrosities, Tom Perriello also vows not to take money from regulated monopolies (e.g., Dominion Power) while scaling up CLEAN energy in Virginia. I strongly urge all Virginia candidates, Democratic and Republican, to take the same pledges (as well as to oppose offshore oil drilling and mountaintop removal coal mining) — before it’s too late for our planet, and so that Virginia doesn’t miss out on the enormous (multi-trillion-dollar) opportunities presented by the booming cleantech sector worldwide.
P.S. If you need any MORE reason to oppose these pipelines, note that fossil fuel tool Trump and his team are huge fans. ‘Nuff said. Also see here for a more detailed explanation by Perriello regarding this announcement, including the fact that clean energy creates a LOT more jobs than fossil fuels…plus of course it’s clean.
At FortBoise of Idaho, Tom von Alten writes—Waiting for the bus:
Summary in the headline: Boise’s population booms, but people aren’t getting on the bus. Once upon a time in the 1990s, a 56% increase in ridership over three years prompted an award for Boise's transit, "an outstanding transit system with 50 or fewer buses." Twenty years later, ridership is off 7% from the 1995 peak, even as the local population has increased by more than a third.
The sidebar comparing per capita bus trips in 15 western cities citing FiveThirtyEight data shows Boise at the bottom: 4.1 for the year 2012, less than a tenth of the highest city, Eugene, Oregon, "both midsize university towns with lots of outdoor recreation." Eugene has 70% of the Boise area's population, and eight times as many passenger trips. 11.6 million versus just under 1.5 million. That's 4.2 bus trips per capita in Boise, versus 47 in Eugene.
Budget/trip is $6.53 for Boise's Valley Ride, and $4.07 for Eugene's Lane Transit District, the latter getting two thirds of its funding from the state's payroll tax dedicated to transit, and the former getting no funding from Idaho.
Does it make sense to have zero support from the state? (Is there any chance of convincing Idaho's legislature otherwise?)
Can we figure out how to trim some of the 60% higher cost in Boise's system compared to Eugene's?
Can we quantify the benefits of having a transit system and make informed decisions about the public subsidy?